LAKE ROAD WINES began as a partnership in the early 70's with the plan of investing in premium vineyards supplying the pioneering wine companies such as Penfolds, Corbans, Giesens and Villa Maria.
As a family business, quality was always valued over quantity and through careful viticulture the vines produced many gold medals, cementing a reputation for premium wines.
In the mid 2000's after more than 30 years of viticulture, winemaking was begun with the first wines under our Lake Road label released in 2008 and exported to Australia.
Exports of our wine have since spread to China, UK and the EU. The range of wines from the four main regions offered by Lake Road has broadened to today when all major varieties are exported. Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is the cornerstone of our range and this is complemented by other white wines such as Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer. Waipara Pinot Noir and Hawkes Bay Merlot are the main varieties of red wine we offer and showcase the best of those individual regions.
Looking forward, Lake Road is looking to export to the United States in the next 2 years and work further with Asian markets to showcase New Zealand to these emerging markets.
Lake Road Group Ltd was incorporated in 2012.
Poverty Bay Wine Estates Ltd draws it's name from one of New Zealand’s most fertile and temperate horticultural plains, described somewhat inaccurately by Captain James Cook in 1769, as “Poverty Bay”.
Cook’s faulty assessment may have been based more on the unfriendly reception from the local tribes than a detailed analysis of climate and growing conditions.
Now more than 230 years later the Poverty Bay plains produce some of New Zealand’s finest red and white wines, as well as fruit and vegetables of all descriptions, year round.
The Voysey’s philosophy is founded on viti-cultural decisions, like planting some varieties in narrow rows at Old World densities with lower yields per vine, or trellising to achieve a low fruit zone – the key to more flavoursome grapes and, ultimately, wines with a lower alcohol level.
Vinoptima is Latin for Best Wines and a desire to create truly exceptional Gewurztraminer wine has governed every aspect of the Vineyard’s development.
Vinoptima Estate is a fully integrated, self-contained vineyard and wine producing business dedicated to the production of a single commercial wine from grapes grown entirely on the Estate. No grapes are grown under contract for Vinoptima and no other winemaking or bottling is undertaken on behalf of third parties.
The Vinoptima Estate vineyard comprises 9.7 hectares divided into two blocks of roughly equal size. The original South block was planted in 2000 and the new North block was planted in 2007. The Vinoptima Estate vineyard is planted in 5 different clones of Gewurztraminer that Nick Nobilo has selected during more than 25 years work with the variety.
