WineNZ Summer 2019-20

Feature | Waiiheke
MAN O’ WAR
VINEYARDS –
METICULOUS
MANAGEMENT
Man O’ War almost defies the
image of Waiheke as the home
of small, boutique wineries
producing limited amounts of
premium wine aimed mainly
at the local market and the
increasing visitor spend.
For not only is Man O’ War
the largest producer on the
island but as winemaker
Duncan McTavish tells me, at
600 tonnes they eclipse the
output of all other Waiheke
producers combined. “In fact we
think our harvest accounts for
about a third of Auckland’s total
production.”
So a comfy little bunch of vines
on land overlooking a sandy
beach it is not!
Man O’ War takes its name
from the secluded bay that
was the holiday homestead of
the business magnate John
Spencer’s family who have had
farming interests on Waiheke
since the 80s. Their 1800ha estate
encompasses much of the hilly
coastline on the south eastern
part of the island.
It’s an estate that has been
meticulously managed and
redeveloped over the years but
one which also includes the
historic wartime gunnery site at
Stony Batter.
A site nearby is marked for a
new winery in the coming years.
As a testament to the family’s
guardianship of the land, on
your way through the hills to the
company vineyards specimen
trees, carefully fenced and
protected from stock, stand
alongside patches of virgin bush.
It is evident that the proprietors
have both the patience and the
ability to fund the investments
required.
Both are required for the
establishment of vineyards!
It’s an old adage that vineyards
may well be profitable for the
‘family of a family of a family’ but
rarely for the original incumbents!
But the Man O’ War plans were
a little different to most. While,
encouraged by the successes
of Stonyridge and Goldwater the
family decided to plant in small,
discreet blocks of sloping hillsides
that each offered different
possibilities in terms of variety and
style.
Their first vines were planted in
1993 for a small vintage in 1996.
Most of the subsequent planting
took place in the years from 2004
– 2006 and now the estate claims
10 WineNZ Magazine | Summer 2019/2020