In 1973 Austrian-born Hermann Seifried and his New Zealand wife Agnes bought land in the Moutere Valley between Nelson and Motueka with the intention of planting strawberries. Fortunately, they planted vines instead. Their first harvest was in 1976. All three Seifried children, Heidi, Christopher and Anna, are now playing their part in growing the family business.

Seifried Estate consists of six vineyard sites in the Nelson region, each planted to different grape varieties according to the soil and climate of the particular site. 

The Rabbit Island Vineyards are situated 20km west of Nelson city. Varieties grown here include Sauvignon Blanc,Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. The ‘Redwood Valley’ Vineyard is a 30ha north facing slope on clay soil. Varieties grown here include Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Riesling and Gewürztraminer. This site was first planted in 1979 and now has Sifried’s most established vines producing fruit with fantastic depth, complex flavours and textural components.

On the 70Ha Brightwater Vineyard vines consist of Sauvignon Blanc,Riesling,Gewürztraminer, Grüner Veltliner, Pinot Noir and Zweigelt. The soil on this site ranges from large gravelly areas to light sandy loam soils, which result in a very porous soil structure with little water holding capacity. The newest development is the ‘40Ha Edens Road vineyard, which was established in 2006, and is predominately made up of Sauvignon Blanc and just a small area of Grüner Veltliner and Merlot. Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling and Pinot Noir grapes are planted and the wines display very good varietal character as well as marvellous purity of fruit.

The Sauvignon Blanc Sauvignon Blanc has a classic cool-climate fruit profile, typical of the South Island, with a zestiness and freshness of acidity that balances the ripe, grassy, passionfruit and citrus fruit profile. Seifried Estate is a company devoted to sustainable winegrowing and producing one of the very best expressions of Nelson wines.