HAWKSHEAD
Hawkshead came to be when in 1995, Denis Marshall bought a plot of land nestled upon the gentle North-facing slopes in the Gibbston Valley after forging himself a long and successful career in politics, specialising in horticulture and conservation.
In 2001 the first Pinot Noir vines were planted, quickly followed with more plantings in 2003. Two years later, he and his equally passionate partner, Ulrike, established the Hawkshead Vineyard Partnership. The focus is on careful land use and soil management, with minimum interference with nature.
“New Zealand is a land of hidden secrets. From North to South there is an ever changing vista of lush pastures covering hills and plains, ancient forests, sweeping beaches, soaring mountains, rolling tussocklands, swift flowing rivers, and beautiful lakes. Each bend of the road takes the traveller to new and different scenic beauty to take your breath away. That’s what makes our beautiful country so special – there’s more variety in these islands than in a continent. There is unparalleled quality in what we produce too, especially our internationally acclaimed wines.”
Not only are the wines stunning, but the wine labels are a piece of art. In 1841 the naturalist William Swainson, Fellow of the Royal Society, settled in New Zealand and named his first colonial home ‘Hawkshead’, after the home of his ancestors in the English Lake District. For Denis Marshall, Swainson’s artwork is more than pretty pictures. As one of his descendants Denis inherited the same love for the natural world. The influence of Swainson’s passion for nature does not stop there, with drawings from his collections of beautiful North and South American birds now featuring on the Hawkshead Riesling, Pinot Gris and Rosé labels also.
Visit Hawkshead’s website here