With Trinity Hill Relaunch, Terroir Looks To Broaden New Zealand’s Horizons

After closing its acquisition of a 70% stake in New Zealand’s Trinity Hill early this year, Charles Banks’ Terroir is looking to leverage the Hawkes Bay winery’s diverse offering to expand consumers’ concept of the Kiwi category. Banks and Trinity Hill winemaker Warren Gibson see Hawkes Bay as an area ripe for development, offering potential not only for New Zealand’s signature Sauvignon Blanc varietal—as the dominant Marlborough region approaches maximum capacity—but also for cool-climate expressions of other grapes like Syrah, Pinot Noir and Cabernet.

Trinity Hill, which owns 200 acres of vineyards in Hawkes Bay—located in the northeast of New Zealand’s north island—pulled out of the U.S. market about three years ago (it was previously handled by Via Pacifica). After relaunching in the States earlier this year, it’s been focusing on-premise with its Hawkes Bay Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir ($17 a bottle) as well as a Syrah and Bordeaux-style blend “The Gimblett” from the Gimblett Gravels sub-region ($30). The winery produces around 15,000 cases of the Sauvignon Blanc, about 4,000 cases of the Pinot and 2,000-3,000 cases each of the Gimblett Gravels wines. Gibson tells SND that production will ramp up on the Pinot Noir especially, owing to strong initial demand in the U.S.

Tagged : Duckhorn Wine Co., Hawkes Bay, Terroir Selections, Trinity Hill

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