People
The family.
Nicholas Brown and Pen Naish with Pen’s family own our three vineyards. Pen and Nicholas and their two children Sylvia and Arthur live at Netherwood and manage the business. Nicholas looks after the vineyards and wines with his team and Pen manages the sales & marketing and the restaurant & cellar door with another great team.
Since 2007, when the we first purchased the Home vineyard from it’s founder Russell Black, Pen’s parents and siblings supported us with investing in the land here. Pen’s father Rod is a 5th generation horticulturalist from North Otago. Pen’s mum Stacey provides much family support.
Russell and Kumiko Black planted the original eight hectares of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines in 1993 at Black Estate, now called the Home Vineyard. In spring 2007 we purchased that property and kept the name. After buying Riesling and Pinot Noir fruit from the Hull family’s Damsteep Vineyard and Netherwood Vineyard (5-10km up the road), we purchased those two sites in 2012 and 2015 respectively. (Netherwood was originally established by Danny Schuster and Russell Black in 1986).
We converted all three vineyards to organic and biodynamic farming and are certified with BioGro. No.5202 and Demeter.
It’s a privilege to farm these three sites. We’re working with the land and looking to encourage natural balance and life at each site to share an original, quality expression of each place in the glass.
This dream is only possible with our team. We are very grateful for the friendships and knowledge that grow here.
Vineyard Team –
Mick, Lucy, Dujon, Owen, Chris, Nicholas, Justine (who is also our assistant winemaker),
The Cellar Door & Restaurant
Kitchen – Olly, Hayden, Rosie and Kaitlin.
Front of the house – Pen, India, Clio, Abbie, Louis, Yelen,
Administration, orders & accounts Queen – Di Mawson!
Christchurch sales – Juliet Mannering
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Our Suppliers
Our goal is to always celebrate our whenua, and what better way to do that, than to cook and create with food made and grown from our back yard.
Little Owl BD Farm.
Based in Gore Bay, an hour north of Black Estate. Micheal and Liz grow vegetables, using the organic methods of the biodynamic movement. They also provide fortnightly vegetable boxes from the farm to locals. Get in touch if you interested to get your own.
Streamside Organics
Based in Leeston, Streamside is a 50 acre certified organic farm growing produce for local restaurants, markets, supermarkets and wholesalers.
Kings Truffles
The Lee family grow organic truffle in Waipara Gorge, high in limestone rocks above our local river. Their gorgeous dogs find the truffle each June and July and supply us for the whole season.
Little Goat Farm Dairy
Produced at Te Hua Farm, Andrea Gauland has been developing her cheesemaking skills through trial, error, voracious reading, and a love of all things cheese-y.
Bostock
Based in Hawkes Bay, Ben and George farm certified and free range chickens under the apple trees of their family orchard.
Milmore Downs
Inspirational mentors of ours, the Ian and Matt Henderson and family own and manage a third generation family farm producing freshly milled flour, grains and other cereals. Biodynamic and organic, certified.
Wairiri Buffalo Cheese
Their philosophy is to live in harmony with the land, to care and nurture it, our goal is to be a worldwide exemplar of sustainable agriculture. Totally organic, the buffalo are free grazing and winter feed is harvested from our farm.
Pinoli
World class pine nuts grown for over 20 years in Malborough.
Roan Milk
James and Chloe Davidson have been building their boutique milk business and small herd of Shorthorn and Jersey cows for the last three years, in the heart of Canterbury. Cows are 100% grass-fed and their pastures are free of chemical pesticides, glyphosphate and synthetic fertilisers.
Wash Creek
Just up the road from Black Estate, certified organic farmers at Washcreek grow award winning lamb, beef, and crops.
Athena Olives
Patrick, local to Waipara, tends to 3,000 olive trees producing delicious olives and oil that have been on our menu since the beginning.
Ocean Speared
Our newest fish supplier, providing individually spear caught fish from the top of the south Island. Ethical and sustainable.
Awatoru Wild Foods
Awatoru (Three Rivers) is an Artisan Fishing and Wild Food supply company, a small family business based on the Kapiti Coast, supplying the Hospitality and Restaurant trade.