About Wishart Estate

 

In 1998 the listing for sale of an old woolshed property in Bay View, Napier fulfilled a family's dream. It was the neighbouring property to the vineyard of Robbie Bird and family, Wishart descendants. Along with a number of other Wishart family members from both Hawkes Bay and further afield they purchased the property and established Wishart Estate Winery. Their dream was to create the wines they had always imagined could be made from the fruit grown in their very special Bay View micro-climate.

Robbie's grandfather was Robert H Bird, an early pioneer in New Zealand winemaking and viticulture and founder of Glenvale Wines. Following the sale of Glenvale, now known as Esk Valley Estate, the Bird family had settled across the road on their current prime vineyard site, and it is from here, with the legacy of the past and their wealth of experience and unparalleled knowledge of the land, that Robbie, and his sons Nathan and Daniel, supply the grapes for Wishart Estate.

 

The first wines under the Wishart label were bottled from our 1999 vintage, a year after the construction of the mediterranean styled winery was completed.

The winery has now reached a new phase where we have the capacity to produce 10,000 cases of wine annually, with the option to increase volume. Currently, all grapes are sourced from the Bay View vineyard, situated next to the winery.

 

 

Our passion is to to produce small batches of reserve premium Bordeaux blends, Syrah's and Chardonnay's which will demonstrate the Wishart wine style and the complexity and beauty of the fruit from our unique location.

In addition, with the production of the Te Puriri range of wines, we provide a broader range of varietals in wines that are accessible to all and offer value for money, vintage after vintage.