Stonyridge Vineyard

Stonyridge Vineyard is a world-renowned Cabernet-blend winegrower, located on the beautiful island of Waiheke, near Auckland, New Zealand. We are dedicated to producing the finest Cabernet blends in the world (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot)using traditional winemaking. We are located at the same relative latitude as the southern tip of Sicily. Stonyridge is located in a gently north-facing valley, 1 km from both Onetangi Beach to the north and Putiki Bay to the south. It is sheltered from the cold southwesterly winds by Stonyridge, a long ridge running from one coast to the other. A nearby rock quarry gives an indication of the soil type. The soil is a poor low-fertility Waitemata clay saturated with nodules of magnesium, manganese, and iron oxides. Magnesium is the central molecule of chlorophyll, essential for photosynthesis, much loved by grape vines and so often deficient in NZ soils. The only fertilizers we add are natural-ground limestone and a homemade seaweed emulsion. Our viticulture is meticulous, with at least 5 full-time staff working in our 6-hectare vineyard throughout the year. We select the finest clones and graft them onto the best low-vigour rootstocks we can find. Apart from the five Bordeaux grapes, we are doing trials with many other varieties. Insecticides have never been used at Stonyridge and herbicides have not been used since 1988 when we purchased our first German tractor-mounted undervine weeder. Our vine-disease-protection program is limited to non-systemic fungicides (copper and sulfur).