Glover's Vineyard New Zealand Wineries Nelson & Bays Wineries Nelson & Districts Wineries Welcome

Glover's Vineyard

Welcome

Glover's Vineyard lies in pretty, undulating countryside at Upper Moutere between the inland and coastal Nelson - Motueka highways. Glover and his wife, Penny, planted their first vines in Gardner Valley Road in 1984.

Dave Glover, a former Wellingtonian, spent 16 years in Australia where he gained a PhD in algebra and worked in the Defence Department. Dave was convinced that the Upper Moutere climate was ideal for winemaking, and after tasting Tim Finn's 82 Cabernet Sauvignon, he was convinced that the potential was there. The Nelson area also is the place to live.

The six-hectare estate vineyard lies on a gentle, north facing slope. In low fertility clay threaded with decomposing rock, the Glovers have planted Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc. At five tonnes per hectare, this is a low-cropping vineyard. Grapes are also bought from growers in Nelson. Glovers Annual output is very small - around 1000 cases.

Since the first 1989 vintage, the bold, beefy, tannic estate-grown Pinot Noirs have attracted the most attention. Grapes from the hotter slope behind the winery yield a bold, strong- flavoured Back Block Pinot Noir with new oak influence and furry tannins that demand cellaring.

By contrast, the Front Block Pinot Noir, aged in seasoned oak casks, is a fragrant, more supple and forward style.

Grippy tannins are the hallmark of Glover's style, reflecting his firm opinions on the vital role of tannins during the aging of red wines.

"It's not the tannin I am promoting - it's longevity," he says. I am not after a "big Ocker" image - the tannins are there as a preservative.