The Tiki name was created in honour of Royce’s great-great-grandfather, Ngati Uenuku Chieftain, Tiki Tere Mihi. But there’s a bit more to their story that took place before the name was born...

In the late nineties, with their two young daughters in tow, they spent 3 years living and working as ski bums in the Craigieburn Range of New Zealand, good years and great memories but little in the way of money.

Tiki Wine & Vineyards dreamed of earning a grubstake to create something of their own in NZ, so they decided to try their luck overseas and packed up their bags and headed to Europe for the next 5 years. They spent this time working and travelling through Europe and North America while saving dollars to start something when they went home.

When their girls started school in the U.K they really started missing home, then they realised that they wanted to give them the same amazing upbringing that Tiki Wine & Vineyards both had growing up in New Zealand.

Eventually the pull of home got too strong and they decided their next adventure would be to pack in the jobs, pack up the kids and move back to New Zealand.

They settled in the beautiful seaside village of Sumner, Christchurch not far from some of Royce’s family. Moving home was pretty amazing! Having kids meant that they could really appreciate the slower pace of life, easy access to the outdoors, and that feeling of freedom you get from living a long way away from the rest of the world, at the beach, in a beautiful wee village.

Tiki Wine & Vineyards were looking for something to get stuck into, and after a year at home they found an old 325 hectares sheep farm in Waipara that they fell in love with that was perfectly suited to growing grapes. The years of working overseas helped to prepare them for understanding the financial requirements for setting up and running a vineyard but that still didn’t make it easy to get the project off the ground - They were green behind the ears, with limited funds and no track record to speak of in grapes or wine. Not the ideal way to kick off a long term investment like a vineyard, but they decided this would be their next adventure and they dove into it, boots and all.

Tiki Wine & Vineyards started small by planting only 60 hectares of the new vineyard in Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris varieties. Small they say, but this is still more than 130,000 plants that needed to be planted and watered and trained in quite a limited amount of time. It was thousands of posts and miles of irrigation line that needed to be fitted, checked, run and maintained.

Wines Of Tiki Wine & Vineyards

Tiki Estate Chardonnay 2016 – Waipara

Hawke's Bay is the oldest wine region in New Zealand and the second largest. Located at 39.4°S, in the North Island of New Zealand, our climate is maritime and similar to Bordeaux. This region is well known for their rich, complex Chardonnays

COLOUR - A delicate, pale straw green

NOSE - Aromas of melon and peach stone, complexed with subtle malolactic fermentation and oak notes, are the signature of this wine. It has a freshness and vibrancy that gives it instant appeal.

PALATE - This wine displays flavours of stone fruit and peach stone with hints of toasty oak complexed with subtle malolactic fermentation characters. The palate has a fullness and creaminess to it which gives it good length while at the same time finishing quite refreshingly dry.

REGION - Waipara

VINTAGE - The weather conditions were perfect for bringing the Chardonnay fruit to full maturity while still retaining a good level of natural acidity. The levels of malic acid were higher than normal this year due to higher diurnal temperature fluctuation. These temperature patterns in turn have also resulted in elevated varietal characteristics making the wine that more intense.

WINEMAKING - The fruit was harvested at optimum ripeness and transported quickly to the winery. It was destemmed only, without crushing, and immediately chilled prior to pressing which has assisted in retaining the maximum fruit flavours. A gentle pressing was followed by cold settling to clarify the juice. The clear juice was then fermented with a selection of Chardonnay yeast and this was followed by a full malolactic fermentation to add complexity to the palate and reduce the natural acidity.

WINEMAKER- Evan Ward

GRAPE VARIETY- 100% Chardonnay

Tiki Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2016 – Marlborough

In its setting at the north-eastern tip of New Zealand's South Island 40 degrees south of the equator, Marlborough lies parallel with some of the northern hemisphere's major wine growing regions. As the country's largest grape growing and wine making region, it produces close to 75 per cent of wine exports.

COLOUR - Pale straw yellow

NOSE - A powerful nose of peach, citrus and passionfruit aromas complexed with some sweaty notes. Pungent and powerful aromatics – sweet citrus, meyer lemon and grapefruit, juiced green apple then a tropical note of pineapple core and passion fruit.

PALATE - The palate is intense with excellent mouth feel and texture leading to a long lingering finish enhanced by vibrant acidity. Finishing full, with a firm acidity that is well balanced by a touch of residual sugar and a solid fruit core that reflects the aromatics. A ripe, luscious wine exhibiting sweat, tropical fruit characters with just a hint of the classic Sauvignon Blanc herbaceousness in the background. Overall a tasty and juicy wine with great length and richness.

REGION - 100% of the fruit for this wine was sourced from our River Terrace vineyard in the Upper Wairau Valley in Marlborough.

VINTAGE - The 2016 Vintage in the Upper Wairau was one of the best in the last decade. Warm daytime temperatures, tempered by cool nights, provided the ideal conditions for creating intense flavours while retaining fine acidity and elegance in the wines. As a result of these conditions, the flavour profiles tended more to tropical with very little greenness. Picking commenced the first week of April.

WINEMAKING - The Single Vineyard wine is only made when climatic conditions allow the full expression of the vineyard characters – 2016 was an ideal vintage to achieve this. The fruit was harvested at maximum flavour as assessed by our winemaker through frequent tasting in the vineyard. Harvested in the cool of the evening, the fruit was very gently pressed to avoid harsh phenolic extraction and the juice allowed to cold settle. The clear juice was fermented at low temperatures using yeast renowned for their ability to enhance the Sauvignon Blanc aromas through the release of aromatic thiols. A balanced amount of residual sugar was left in the wine to complement the palate weight and structure. Early bottling was carried out to ensure the capture of the intense varietal aromas and flavours.

WINEMAKER - Evan Ward

GRAPE VARIETY - 100% Sauvignon Blanc

Tiki KORO Pinot Noir 2014 - Central Otago

Central Otago is the most southerly grape-growing region in the world. Located at 45º south, it shares unique geographical and climactic conditions with some of the world’s most prestigious wine-producing regions. Burgundy and the northern Rhone in France, and Oregon’s Willamette Valley in the SA, are all at latitudes between 45º and 47º north.

COLOUR - Intensely and brightly coloured wine with a deep red/purple hue

NOSE - Aromatically savoury with delightful earthy, forest floor aromas, a touch of truffle with supporting plummy, dark red fruit notes

PALATE - An exceptionally balanced wine showing a lovely integration of fine-grained tannins and full fruit flavours. The palate is full bodied with marvellous texture and length resulting in a wine that has intensity to match fuller flavoured dishes.

REGION - 100% Wanaka, Central Otago

VINTAGE - After a mild and dry winter the season commenced with budburst starting in the 2nd week of October. A very unsettled and cool October followed with multiple snowfalls on the hills for most of the month. Improving weather in early November, along with warm temperatures and good soil moisture, ensured rapid growth and perfect conditions for canopy development. Flowering started in mid to late December resulting in fairly even fruit set and good crop loads. Fruit thinning was carried out in early February adjusting crop levels to an average of 4 to 4.5 tons per hectare. Great autumn weather carried through into late April. Mild, dry and relatively frost free conditions were ideal for ripening, allowing blocks and clones to be individually harvested at optimal levels of ripeness and physiological maturity.

Harvest commenced on the 23rd of April and concluded on the 2nd of May.

WINEMAKING - The fruit was fermented in small parcels with 15% whole bunches included in the ferment to give lifted aromatics and structure. Hand plunging was carried out daily during ferment and the total maceration time was four weeks which allowed extended time for tannin extraction. After pressing, the wine was aged for eleven months in small oak barriques. The wine had such perfect balance that no fining was done.

WINEMAKER - Maude Wines

GRAPE VARIETY - 100% Pinot Noir