Matawhero Church House Chenin Blanc

When the late great William (Bill) Irwin planted Riesling, Chassalas and Pinotage varieties at Riverpoint Road in Gisborne back in the late 60s, people thought he was nuts! Livestock, yes. Maize, sure. But wine? What are you doing!

Okay so the Pinotage was a flop but Bill later tried his hand at planting Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer. The result? Well, in 1975 the first Matawhero labels were slapped on bottles (featuring the Matawhero church, the district’s oldest building). A year later Bill and his son Denis were celebrating fourth place for their 1976 Gewurz at a wine show in Paris. Ooh la la! One year on from that in 1977 even the Queen was sippin’ on a 1976 Matawhero Traminer Riesling on a visit to Aotearoa!

These days owned by the Searle family the Matawhero wines are still winning gongs and getting plenty of praise.

Chenin Blanc is the ideal white to pair with chicken and seafood dishes or for the master chef combination pair it with roast pork and crackling. This is a wine with good cellaring potential, it should hits fine form around from 2025 onwards up until 2031.