Dry River vineyard was established in 1979 by Dr Neil and Dawn McCallum. In 2003 the vineyard and winery were sold to Julian Robertson and Reg Oliver with Neil staying at the helm as Chief Winemaker until his retirement in 2011. The name Dry River was that of one of the earliest South Wairarapa sheep stations.
Although their vines are planted several kilometres away on the northern boundary of the Martinborough township, Dry River aptly describes the very arid, gravely and free-draining site. The first wines, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer and Pinot gris were bottled in 1984 and Dry River has since developed a reputation as one of New Zealand’s most iconic pioneering wineries. The wines are largely sold by mail order and are not widely available through the retail trade. We are lucky enough to be able to present some for sale to you.
The vineyards and winery are cared for by a small and dedicated team overseen by Ant Mackenzie, General Manager. In the winery, Wilco Lam is the winemaker with Coralie Allexant-Manière assists him. Heather Gibbs looks after administration and the vineyards are tended by Nick James, Vineyard Manager, Rob Smith and Michelle Mills.
$83.00
Seven years ago, we planted a new block of Chardonnay where we used to grow our Gewurztraminer at the Dry River...
$63.00
Similar to the 2019 Riesling, the 2021 vintage is also approachable as a young wine. The early season heat summation...
$68.00
The nose is very seductive, elusive and suggestive of a late picked wine. The candied pear, rockmelon, honeysuckle, orange rind,...
$93.00
The wine shows primary dark fruits of the forest like boysenberry and black currants interlaced with violets and hints of...
$128.00
Dry River Pinot Noir. Iconic. Bright, mid-ruby hues, purple tinge. Perfumed, gloriously ripe cherries, sloe, red hedgerow fruits, olive & sweet...