Ant Mackenzie has been involved in the wine industry for over 20 years. During that time he has done pretty much everything - from pruning grape vines to running wineries. His journey has had him working for small, boutique wineries through to some of New Zealand’s largest.

Eight years ago Ant embarked on a venture to produce wines under various creative brands. The best known of which is Theory & Practice, a well-loved emerging brand from Hawke’s Bay. Alongside Theory & Practice there are two series produced under the “Toño” and “Alluviale” labels. Toño being the nickname Ant – Antony was given whilst making wine in Spain and Alluviale coming from the name of the soils that the grapes are grown in for that range.

An exciting new development is a collaboration project called Cognoscente Wine Workshop with long-time friend and wine distributor Jeannine McCallum. These wines are produced with a special focus on harmony and a sensory compatibility with food.

Ant believes each wine within a range contributes to a story or an experience.  Grouping similar wine stories together under different brands gives us a bookshelf of different wine experiences. Much as you like picking different books of the shelf at different times and for different moods he hopes that the same will happen with these series of wines.

So we have Theory & Practice as a Hawke’s Bay regional and varietal story, capturing the flavours of the region and the year by sourcing fruit across the region. Toño is also from Hawke’s Bay but explores the Spanish grape varietals and how they tell a different story of Hawke’s Bay but viewed through another lens. Alluviale is a classic range of blended wines based on the famous five Bordeaux red varieties and the two white varietals. These wines speak of tradition, excellence in the winemaking art and of course the Hawke’s Bay terroir. Finally we have the Cognoscente wines which are made specifically to enhance the sensory experience of eating and spending time with friends.

Alexia Urban Winery

Alexia Urban Winery in Greytown is owned and operated by Jane Cooper and wife Lesley Reidy. Jane makes the wine while Lesley is the cellar hand and general winery dogsbody.

Alexia represents the strength and beauty of their family matriarchy - the quiet, understated women who established their family values and held them together.

The couple built the winery from the ground up with the goal of showcasing a range of new wines, varieties and styles in a setting that allows visitors to experience the whole winemaking process up close.

After years of making wine for others, opening a winery in their home town was an opportunity to make wines that are personal to them, while being rich in character, full of texture, and delicious to drink.

Grapes are sourced from grower partners Julie Collins and Simon Dawson’s Manuka Flats vineyard in West Taratahi, north of Carterton. From there everything is done on-site at Alexia.

The winery produces two wine ranges: Alexia - which includes Rosé, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir, and Tangent by Alexia - lo-fi wines made in tiny quantities using varieties not widely grown in New Zealand - Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc and Gamay.

Alexia is on West Street in Greytown, tucked in behind the lawnmower shop, one street back from the Main Road and is open Fri – Sun between October – March.

Dicey Wines

Dicey Wines was started by two brothers in Bannockburn, Central Otago. Bannockburn is not an easy place to grow vines, with the winds, frost, bitter cold & dry heat. The land is unforgiving, and the wines express that struggle.

The two brothers, James and Matt Dicey, have made sure the wines tell a story of the region at the time it was made, the colours on the bottles representing the seasons. The elements needed to craft a Dicey wine are the vineyards plus the heat, rain and wind. The amounts of these vary from year to year, so each year the wines tell a different story of the region. The grapes endure the fury of nature and then are harvested by hand.

Each vineyard is unique. They have three: Swansong, Black Rabbit and Inlet. Swansong is steep - the vines 'clawing their way along the terraces of eroded gravel and clay'. Black Rabbit sits on ancient bedrock with vines nestled into windblown soil. Inlet's vines drape over a terrace of deep river gravel.

The Dicey Pinot Noir has aromas of dark berry, savoury & floral. The Dicey Chenin Blanc has aromas of kumquat, stone fruit and floral. You can find both of these wines in our Wine Beer & Spirits stores and online.

Tony Bish Wines

Located in the art deco icon The National Tobacco Company Building is The Urban Winery, the home of Tony Bish Wines. Tony produces premium wines made exclusively from the King of White Grapes, Chardonnay. As such, Tony is Australasia’s only Chardonnay specialist.

Tony has had a long career in the NZ Wine industry, spanning 38 vintages and counting. He was Senior Winemaker and Founder of Sacred Hill Vineyards Ltd, a highly awarded winery with significant exports.

Innovation is at the heart of all Tony does. He has built NZ’s first concrete egg fermenters and produces two wine styles made with this unique methodology. Tony also imported the first French Oak Ovum egg fermenter to the Southern Hemisphere, and the resulting wine Zen is a masterpiece of style and innovation. Tony produces 6 different Chardonnay styles, that have all received wide acclaim in NZ and in key overseas markets.

The Urban Winery is a very stylish and modern fit out of an old tobacco building. There are a wide range of Hawke’s Bays finest wines showcased alongside Tony’s own Chardonnays. Daily wine and craft beer tastings occur, along with a Tapas menu, live music, and many interesting events and activities.

The Edge - Escarpment Martinborough

The Escarpment Vineyard Edge range includes Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. It has been created to allow more fruit driven easy drinking expressions of these varieties. They are made without the use of oak and usually include small amounts of residual sugar. This means the wines are ideal for current vintage drinking and make great aperitifs. For this reason they are often found sold by the glass in restaurants.

All fruit for the Edge is from Martinborough and is processed in the same meticulous manner Escarpment wines are made.

These wines  age gracefully but make for great drinking in the first one or two years after bottling.

About Escarpment Winery:

Situated just 5 kilometres east of Martinborough village, Escarpment’s 24 hectares of distinctive alluvial gravel, terraced land stretches out along the banks of the Huangarua River.

Overlooking the vineyard are the Aorangi Ranges, the very hills made famous by Kupe the great Polynesian voyager who discovered New Zealand, according to Maori legend. Kupe left his three canoes, Nga Waka, on top of the range, giving rise to the now familiar landmark of the district, the “Nga Waka-o-Kupe” or three flat-topped hills on top of the range, which resemble unturned canoes.

Under Winemaker Larry McKennas leadership since Escarpment’s inception in 1999,  the Escarpment team aims to reward wine lovers with progressive and suggestive wines that encourage them to venture to the edge of wine loving and appreciation.

With the cooler temperature setting in, warm yourself up with this deliciously spiced mulled wine.