Paul Tietjen and Geordie Witters began TW Wines in 1998. Their wines epitomise what the world has come to expect of New Zealand wine – power, complexity, elegance, and excellent cellaring potential.

The concept of TW Wines was born on a fishing trip to Waikarimoana in 1997, where two of the group, Geordie Witters and Paul Tietjen, travelled to Lake Waikarimoana together. They talked along the way about grapes, wine, and a few other things and realised they both had ideas of producing top-quality wines. Both vineyards had accumulated several awards for wines produced from their respective vineyards, so they decided to start research into prospective winemakers and wineries that could blend the flavours from the two vineyards into quality wine. With encouragement and advice from local winemakers Geoff Sinnott and James Millton and a few ideas from friends, they set about forming a company and finding winery space.

The area along the Hexton-Waiharere foothills had been likened to the Côte d’Or region in France by an avid Burgundy fan; hence the name ‘golden slope’ was born. Similarities are due to the medium to heavy clay base material overlaid with 20 – 30cm of light black soil, the limestone foothills, and the slight elevation and slope. The Côte d’Ors’ main white grape is also the Chardonnay variety.

Both were keen to start in the coming vintage, 1998, with it being a strong El-Nino. They secured a wine consultant, winery space, and some new French oak barrels, and they were underway! Since that first year, the winemaking has moved to Gisborne Wine Company in Gisborne under the watchful eye of our winemaker Anita Ewart-Croy.

TW Wines are grown on these slopes and then combined with the best hand-picked grapes from the vineyards of these two most respected grape growers. They have a unique character with forward fruit flavours arising from the terrior.