Gibbston Valley Wines

Over the years we've continued to be innovators in our industry. In 2001, we became one of the first members of the New Zealand Wine Seal Initiative, a small group of winemakers who chose to drop the cork in favour of a screw-cap seal for their wines. Despite being told that this was a risky move and that the public wouldn't accept top-quality wines in a screw-cap bottle, we decided to make this transition because of the many benefits of using screw-caps. The public agreed with us, and today the majority of winemakers in New Zealand use screw-caps to seal their wine. Also in 2001, our 2000 Gibbston Valley Reserve Pinot Noir won the Gold Medal Trophy for Pinot Noir/Burgundy at the London International Wine Challenge. This is a huge achievement making us the first ever non-French wine to win this award. The 2000 Reserve also went on to win the Gold Medal Trophy at the Sydney International Wine Competition and the Japan International Wine Challenge. In 2011, we decided to shake things up again, this time to the tune of mega classic rock hits with the launch of our new Summer Concert Series presented in partnership with Greenstone Entertainment. The concerts offered a way for people to experience legendary classic rock acts with our beautiful New Zealand countryside as the backdrop. The first concert tour featured classic rock headliners Creedence Clearwater Revival and Doctor Hook and included three shows at outdoor venues in Taupo, Matakana and our concert site located next to the winery. After a highly-successful first year, the concert series continued with Doobie Brothers and Little River Band in 2012 and Pat Benatar and American in 2013. The 2014 concert series featured Southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd, Starship featuring Mickey Thomas and British rock group 10cc. Each year the series grows, attracting more fans from New Zealand and around the world. The Gibbston Valley Winery Summer Concert is Queenstown's largest annual music event. In 2013, we opened an artisan café and tasting room in historic Arrowtown, A Taste of Gibbston Valley. Located on Arrowtown's main street, A Taste of Gibbston Valley features a gourmet wine and food experience focused on using the freshest local and organic ingredients when available. A Taste of Gibbston Valley is the only tasting room in Arrowtown, giving both locals and visitors a chance to taste some of the region's best wines in a casual café setting. In 2014, our original Home Block vineyard was certified organic by BioGro New Zealand. Our 2014 vintage single vineyard releases are our first to be certified organic. We are in the process of converting some of our other vineyards to being organic including our School House and China Terrace vineyards. More than 30 years after our first vines were planted, we're still inspired by the unique environment that we call home and sharing that with others. With our restaurant, wine cave and adjacent Gibbston Valley Cheesery on site, we've become a worldwide travel destination and the most-visited winery in New Zealand. We continue to add to the experiences that locals and visits can enjoy at Gibbston Valley. We recently added a biking hub on-site where people can rent bikes and helmets and have direct access to some of the best trails in Queenstown, located next to the winery. We're always growing, but we've stayed close to our roots and continue to operate as a boutique winery focused on handcrafting premium and thrilling representations of Central Otago-style varietals.