HAND-HARVESTED | SMALL PARCEL | HAWKE'S BAY
Our Hawke's Bay vineyards & winemaking
Every bottle of Radburnd wine begins in the vineyard.
We work closely with a small number of carefully selected Hawke's Bay vineyard sites, chosen for their ability to express clarity, structure and balance. Within each vineyard, small, dedicated parcels are carefully farmed (often just a few rows) under the guidance of Kate Radburnd’s winemaking philosophy.
The growers we work with share our uncompromising approach: low yields, knowledgeable canopy and soil management, and an unrelenting focus on fruit quality. Every site is either Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ) accredited or organically managed – a non-negotiable for producing the pure, age-worthy Hawke’s Bay wines that define Radburnd.
In the Vineyard
Great wine starts in the vineyard. Work begins long before harvest, with hands-on viticulture across each of our Hawke's Bay vineyard sites.
Yields are kept deliberately low, often to a single bunch per shoot, allowing every vine to channel its energy into a small, concentrated crop.
Throughout the growing season, Kate and her team remain closely involved and hands-on within the vineyard: walking the rows, tasting fruit, and waiting for the precise moment when flavour, balance and physiological ripeness align.
"We embrace vintage variation and there is a sense of excitement in knowing that no two vintages are the same. Our small-parcel, Hawke's Bay wines celebrate our cool-climate viticulture and genuinely express each growing season."
kate radburnd, Winemaker & Owner
Hand-harvested. Always.
Every parcel of Radburnd fruit is harvested by hand. Not out of tradition, but out of care.
Fruit arrives at the winery whole, fresh and true to site. Each parcel is then hand-sorted, with only the best fruit moving forward to fermentation. It is a slower process, but one that makes a measurable difference in the glass.
For the Penelope range, we selectively allow machine harvesting where appropriate, helping keep the wines more accessible in price while maintaining the same care and attention throughout the winemaking process.
In the winery
With small production volumes, Kate, Penelope and Sara stay closely involved at every stage of winemaking. They tend to each barrel individually as it evolves – a level of attention that simply isn't possible at scale.
Chardonnay is whole-bunch pressed and barrel-fermented, building texture and complexity. For the reds, fruit is destemmed with whole berries retained, then worked by foot, allowing extraction to happen gently before being guided through fermentation.
Every parcel is kept separate throughout fermentation and ageing, allowing us to understand and shape each component before blending. All wines are matured in French oak, selected to support and frame the fruit rather than define it. Vintage variations are embraced, allowing seasonal conditions to be reflected in the glass.
The result is small parcels of restrained, elegant Hawke's Bay wine, built with the balance and structure to evolve gracefully in the cellar over many years.
Mangatahi
Inland and moderately elevated, with free-draining shingle soils sloping toward the Ngaruroro River, Mangatahi is one of Hawke's Bay's cooler vineyards. Slower ripening here preserves natural acidity, a quality that underpins our most age-worthy wines.
Bridge Pa Triangle
Just inland of Hastings, the Bridge Pa Triangle is defined by red metal gravels overlaid with alluvium. These are free-draining, sun-warmed soils ideally suited to our late-ripening red varieties. Old-vine Merlot and Syrah are sourced from this sub-region.
Gimblett Gravels
The Gimblett Gravels is one of New Zealand's most celebrated sub-regions, defined by deep, low-fertility gravels formed by the Ngaruroro River. Protected by Roys Hill, the site naturally limits vine vigour and produces small, concentrated crops of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
Havelock North
Situated on Havelock North’s prestigious Golden Mile, the Te Mata Road vineyard was planted in 2020. Limestone and clay soils, a gentle north-facing slope and cooling coastal breezes combine to produce fruit with natural acidity, precision and a strong sense of place.
