Those familiar with the Valli Estate, will know that they are the only winery / producer in Otago to have vineyards in each of the sub regions of Central, which makes for an educational horizontal tasting evening to explore the regions.

Of course, this is not with out the usual offerings of the Stafford Road Kitchen to showcase the wines and elevate your experience, along with Jen's passion and enthusiasm to bring this evening to life, we always have a lot of fun!

We are thrilled to invite you to an exceptional evening of wine discovery with Terra Sancta Wines, featuring the expertise of renowned winemaker Andrew Keenlyside. Mark your calendar for Wednesday, September 13th, from 7 pm to 9 pm, and prepare to embark on a journey to the heart of New Zealand's Central Otago subregion of Bannockburn.

We are very excited to be introducing Chateau Garage to the Point Wines line up. You may have tasted his Cabernet Sauvignon we are pouring at Stafford Road Wine Bar.

To learn more about Ollie, he is hosting a tasting with us, to share his wine making vision, his story and his stunning collection of wines. We hope you can join us!

Join us for an evening with Nadine Cross, Chief Winemaker for Peregrine wines.

A highlight of our year, showcasing one of Central Otagos Premium wine producers.

Join us, with Damien to explore the wines of this historic winemaking family.

Start your journey with the Clos Henri Blanc de Noirs Brut, then Damien will be showcasing the Clos Henri 2022 Sauvignon Blanc releases and comparing these with the Henri Bourgeois Sancerre and Pouilly Fume, to enlighten you on the stunning regional expression of this grape.

The evening will finish off with a side by side of the Clos Henri Estate and Waimaunga Pinot Noir.

An evening not to be missed, as Damien brings 300 years of winemaking history spanning New Zealand and France to our tasting evening at Point wines.

Join us as Simon and Will from Maison Vauron talk us through an evening of delicious rose, paired with Chef Eunice’s France versus New Zealand inspired tasting menu. Which rose will be your summer favourite?

Join us for a memorable sub-regional wine tasting with one of the country’s leading winemakers Jen Parr

A truly unique journey which created outstanding wines!

Tastings are back! Let’s celebrate!

This time, for our French Wine Tasting, we will be focusing on two outstanding red wine producing regions, Bordeaux and Cotes du Rhone. Our favourite French Host, Will from Maison Vauron, and myself, will be pouring 4 wines from each region taking you on a little journey through some world-class French villages. Expect some truly delicious treats!

The canapes served on the night will have an obvious french influence. Yum!

A great night ahead indeed with great French wine, food, stories and discoveries!

3 Seats became available! Book Now!

Next Tuesday, we are welcoming for the very first time, Kirsten Searle, Owner and passionate Vintner of Matawhero Wines, Gisborne.

Matawhero is the oldest winery cellar door in the region and has the very first vines in the world to see the sun and greet the new day! Something truly poetic about it!

The Matawhero journey started with two NZ wine pioneers from the 1960s.
Bill was a visionary who defied the conventional thinking of the time. He pioneered the introduction of new varieties and clones to the country, and in doing so changed the face of Kiwi winemaking. In the 1970s Bill’s son, Denis, launched the Matawhero brand, using his father’s grapes and imparting his own colourful style to a selection of excellent and distinctive wines. His Gewürztraminer won international acclaim, and even ending up in Buckingham Palace. If it's good enough for the Queen...!

Today the story continues around the drive and determination of Kirsten and Richard Searle, who purchased the Matawhero vineyard and winery in 2008. They are the trusted Kaitiaki (guardians) of Matawhero and continue to develop the iconic winery and share the distinctive wine styles of the Tairawhiti-Gisborne region. They produce famous and highky awarded NZ Chardonnay and other wines including aromatics like the Royal approved Gewürztraminer and some utterly delicious and distinctive Reds, like their bold and juicy Malbec.

When, in 2008, Denis decided to sell Matawhero, local winegrowers Richard and Kirsten Searle grabbed the opportunity and purchased the iconic winery. The Searles have revitalised the operation. The home vineyard has been replanted with new clones, along with a number of exciting new varieties, and the production facilities were upgraded, all in the mere aspiration to produce individual wines that are shining examples of their Gisborne terroir and carry on the Irwins' legacy.

Their vineyards are 100% naturally dry farmed and they only grow their grapes using natural rainfall and no irrigation, hence saving a precious resource like water and reaching for superior fruit flavours with lovely weight and texture! The high sunshine hours and warm climate of Gisborne ripens the fruit perfectly and creates distinctive wines with real fruit intensity. It is like capturing the sun in a glass of wine!

In an exceptional vintage, we hand craft this limited release barrel fermented style of Chardonnay, Irwin. This flagship wine is a tribute to the late Bill Irwin and son Denis, the founders of Matawhero Wines, Gisborne, New Zealand. A wine that scored an impressive score of 96 Points from Wine Orbit and ranked 4th in a line-up of 123 Chardonnays! A very special wine indeed that you will have the pleasure to try on the night. We have also secured the very last stock of the 2018 vintage for you!

We will be showing 8 wines on the night, with canapes served throughout the evening, as always.

This tasting promises to be very special indeed! Take part in the rebirth of a legendary vineyard!

Next Wednesday, we are welcoming for the very first time, Dave Sutton, winemaker at Te Kano Estate, Central Otago.

After meeting him and trying his wines down in Queenstown a couple of years ago, we knew we had to get him to Auckland for a tasting at Point Wines. The time is finally here! Needless to say we are very excited!

If you've had the privilege of visiting their cellar door down in Bannockburn, well, you are fully aware of the pedigree! We are talking about world-class wines in an absolute drop-dead gorgeous location!

We may not be able to fly you all down there, but we can bring the wines to you.

The new kid on the block (their first vintage was 2017), Te Kano has already made its mark and is on the verge of writing a piece of Central Otago's History. 

Passionate about Central Otago’s wines and environment, American-born and London-based proprietor Lloyd Family fell in love with the region and its other-wordly beauty, and vowed to help in any way to preserve that wonderland. Their vision has fuelled a unique vineyard and environmental restoration project in Northburn. 
Committed to rejuvenating the land and a sustainable future through re-planting and excellent stewardship, intensive native regeneration project has begun with thousands of eco-sourced native trees and shrubs already planted.
This is a one-hundred-year project they are undertaking, a beautiful promise of a better tomorrow, and a loving gift for the generations to come. 

Te Kano (Maori for seed), is for those who appreciate the rarest combination of layered elegance and sublime natural quality. From love, passion, dedication, wealth of knowledge and utmost respect for the land, Te Kano was born.

Lloyd’s venture is quite possibly the last of the big grape developments in the Cromwell basin, where booming cherry plantings and housing are competing for a limited supply of suitable land. 

Dave Sutton is the Winemaker at Te Kano and has overseen its growth from an initial 5 hectares of Bannockburn vines to an impressive 50 hectare holding across 3 distinctive Otago subregions.

A travelling wine career across areas as diverse as Crimea and Chile instilled an openness to experiment with different winemaking techniques, while cementing the belief that it is the site that determines the true character of the wines he makes. 11 vintages working in Central Otago have enhanced his soft approach to winemaking, and his wines are known for their elegance, finesse and purity of fruit. Dave is all about highlighting the natural beauty of the fruit.

Those wines are all hand-selected from vineyards and barrels, and often produced in extremely limited quantities.

On top of producing top-quality Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Te Kano also offers a unique and eclectic selection of wines with some beautiful surprises in-store for you.

Next Thursday we are welcoming James Millton from Millton Vineyards in Gisborne, for a tasting that promises to be no less than awe-inspiring!

Millton Vineyards is New Zealand's First Organic & Biodynamic Wine Estate!

Originally started by James’ wife's father in the 1960's, James and Annie (his wife) returned to Gisborne after having gained extensive wine experience through Europe including at the Champagne House Bollinger and prestigious Bordeaux Estates!
They established Millton in 1984 and 5 years later, no rest for the wicked, it became the first certified organic commercial wine producer in the country. 

Keeping the ball rolling, in 2009, Millton Vineyards became one of the first biodynamic Demeter-certified wine producers in NZ and is today one of the oldest biodynamic wine estates in the Southern Hemisphere!

James Millton is the father of organic wine production in NZ and he has been an inspiration to many other grape growers and winemakers, driving the growth of organic and biodynamic practices in this country. James was actually instrumental in writing the certified organic standards for grape growing and wine production in NZ.

Rather than resting on his accomplishments, he has always been keen to share his ideas, experiments and successes with others, for the benefit of the land, the people working on it, and the wine industry.
That is why he is also a member of the wine collective The Family of Twelve, a fraternity of 12 of New Zealand’s most prestigious family-owned wineries. The emphasis is on education and the promotion of New Zealand wine to export markets. To give you an idea of the pedigree, Craggy Range, Kumeu River, Felton Road and Pegasus Bay are all members of this fraternity. Only la crème de la crème!

James has also served as a wine judge, is the past chair of Organic Winegrowers NZ, has sat on the council of the Bio Dynamic Farming Society of NZ, received the Jon Manhire Award for outstanding contribution, was made a Member of the NZ Order of Merit in the 2012 Queen’s Birthday Honours, was elected Personality of the Year in 2013 and in 2019 inducted to become Fellows of New Zealand Winegrowers.

Now, I could go on about James' accomplishments but, as you can see, this could take a while. You get the idea; he is a pioneer, an inspiration, a mentor, a legend!

Now, let's talk about his wines. Well, let's just say that you are in for a treat! 

James does not believe in disguising nor dressing up the unique character with outside influences or winemaking manipulations. He sees himself as merely the caretakers of the fruits of his labours. His wines are pure varietal expressions shaped by the terroir. 
His wines are benchmark examples, beautiful classics perfectly executed. It is like drinking Four Seasons by Vivaldi!

Millton Chenin Blanc has led a revival of the variety in New Zealand and is still to this day considered the best. His Viognier is the absolute finest, worth of a Condrieu, and his Syrah is rivaling with French Crozes-Hermitage.

We will be showing 8 wines on the night including their flagship Clos de St Anne new releases!

This tasting promises to be very special indeed! Get ready to meet the legendary Gisborne producer, James Millton.

As always, canapes will be served throughout the evening.

Join us and Maison Vauron for an interactive and educational French Rose Tasting!