Our Vineyard
The Regions
Central Otago
Located on the South Island of New Zealand, Central Otago boasts incredible beauty and optimal growing conditions. The world’s southernmost wine region features crystal clear lakes, rugged mountains, hot, dry summers, and crispy, snowy winters.
The region’s abundant sunshine and varied soil allow grapes to ripen with a high level of sugar, while still retaining a bracing level of acidity. Twelfth Night Wine’s Pinot Noir, Rosé, Riesling & Gewürztraminer reflect the purity and crispness of the region, creating a wine experience like no other.
Marlborough
Between its mountains and coastal views, Marlborough exudes all the beauty New Zealand has to offer.
Known as one of New Zealand’s biggest wine-producing regions, Marlborough’s climate helps to create the exquisite flavor of Twelfth Night Wine’s Sauvignon Blanc. Hot days and cool nights extend the ripening period of grapes, leaving vines with flavorful, acidic, and juicy fruits.
The region’s distinct affinity for grape-growing is proven successful in every bottle of Twelfth Night’s Sauvignon Blanc.
Vela Wines
Overlooking the Pisa mountains in Central Otago, New Zealand, the Vela Wines vineyard sits at an altitude of 952 feet and is home to the ideal grape-growing conditions. To ensure the best growth, the vineyard is separated into eight distinct blocks, each named as an ode to the founders’ American roots.
The blocks
Texas, California, Oregon, Nebraska, Rhode Island, Grand Canyon, South Carolina, and North Carolina, each has unique soil characteristics and mesoclimates that help with everything from aging potential to variety of fruit.
Texas is the largest block in the vineyard and is a combination of rocky soils and windy conditions that produce crops with unique and complex flavors. Its thin, gravelly topsoil, yields low-vigor vines and an expressively vibrant crop that captures the minerality from the soil.
North Carolina, South Carolina, and Nebraska are blocks with a combination of schist and deep alluvial soils with a high capacity to retain water. Irrigation is used sparingly in these blocks and this allows a hands-off approach to viticulture and results in distinct terroir expression in the grapes.
Rhode Island and Oregon, the smallest blocks in the vineyard, are situated in the wind-protected part of the site where soils are dominated by a deep layer of clay on top of the rocky schist pan. The juice that comes from these blocks portrays an unprecedented minerality and acid structure that allows for excellent aging potential.
California and Grand Canyon are two terraced sites with a 300-foot drop in elevation. They boast dramatic views and distinctly different vines. The top of the terraces is characterized by rocky soils at the top and receives the first sun exposure in the morning while the vines at the bottom grow on rich alluvial soils with the sunlight reaching them later in the day. The temperature differences between the top and the bottom are as much as two degrees Celsius. This unique terroir produces fruit unparalleled in character and vibrancy. The terraces are our true jewels.
Like much of Central Otago, the summer growing season is very dry and winds are strong which greatly reduces the risk of disease and pests. Vela Wines’ dedicated crew makes multiple trips through the vineyard rows on a daily basis to ensure rigorous viticulture management in order to produce the best fruit possible.
