Who we are
We make wine that is quality focused and great value for you to enjoy on any occasion. Or even if there isn’t an occasion. Just any time. Go on, dive in and enjoy a glass!
Our Story
We have been making exceptional wines since 1987. We are a family wine business who have grown from a small husband and wife team to be one of the largest independent wineries in New zealand.
Like all good stories ours began in a time of turmoil. In the late 1980’s the New Zealand wine industry saw bumper crops and a fall in demand lead to several wine companies, both large and small go out of business. Many vineyards were pulling up their vines and the industry appeared to be on the brink of disaster.
Many would say you were crazy to start wine business at this time. Crazy or extremely passionate. Passion for wine is something Jill and Dayne Sherwood certainly don’t lack. In 1987 they planted 20 acres of vines on their Canterbury block and Sherwood Estate Wines was born.
This quintessential Kiwi “can-do” attitude and unwavering determination and dedication to what we do has shaped our company over the last 3 decades. Every aspect of our business from caring for our vineyards and making the wine, to creating lasting relationships with our customers and suppliers is managed with the personal touch of a family business.
With this level of involvement at every step of the process we can ensure the highest standards are maintained.
“Winemakers with the personal touch”
What does that mean? It means we make our wine from grapes grown on our own vineyards, which our staff lovingly tend throughout the year. It means our wine is made at our purpose-built winery in Waipara, where it is also bottled, packaged and dispatched to our customers around the world. It means we have our own team of Account Managers who work with customers across the length and breadth of New Zealand and Australia. It means the founders, Jill and Dayne Sherwood are at the winery every day to ensure our quality and service remains at the highest level.
Our People
Jill & Dayne Sherwood
Founders / Owners
Passion for wine is something Jill and Dayne Sherwood certainly don’t lack. In 1987 they planted 20 acres of vines on their Canterbury block and Sherwood Estate Wines was born.
Petter Evans
Chief Winemaker / Production Manager
Described as a ‘veteran’ in the industry by some Petter has been making wine for more years than he’d care to admit.
The team
Sherwood Estate has a dedicated team of vineyard workers, winemakers, administrative staff and account managers.
Our Place
Where we are
Our vineyards and winery are in the Waipara Valley, a sub-region of North Canterbury on New Zealand’s South Island. We are a short 45-minute drive from Christchurch and the area is host to numerous wineries, cellar doors, restaurants, bike trails and walks, and boutique accommodation.
New zealand
This group of Islands in the South Pacific is home to several diverse winegrowing regions. The stunning landscape of this country was formed from ancient greywacke rock and shaped by volcanic and glacial activity. The cool, maritime climate and variety of soil structures has given rise to distinct viticulture regions, each unique and each producing interesting and distinguished wines.
Waipara valley
This tiny sub-region of North Canterbury in New Zealand’s South Island has a unique micro-climate not seen anywhere else in New Zealand. The wide, gravelly valley floor, formed by an ancient glacial river bed, is sheltered on both sides by limestone-derived clay hills. The valley provides protection from the weather fronts to give us long, warm autumns to perfectly ripen the fruit. Our winery is in the heart of Waipara and our winemakers work closely with the vineyard team. Our winemaking is dictated by the fruit in the vineyards, so we can always put the quality of our fruit first in our wines.
Our Vineyards
stirling
The 30 acre Stirling vineyard is located in central Waipara and is planted on two former river terraces.
Glasnevin
The 23 acre Glasnevin vineyard is on the south east side of the Waipara Valley. The 23 acre block is on a flat situation and is planted in equal portions of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
church road
The Church Road vineyard is also home to our purpose built winery. This 20 acre vineyard is located on the valley floor just North of the Waipara township.
George’s road
George’s Road vineyard is on the south west side of the Waipara Valley where the soils are quite different from elsewhere in the valley.
The terraces
The gently sloping, north east facing Terraces vineyard is our warmest site in Waipara. It is located on the north west side of the valley on a rich silt loam soil over clay.
Pilgrim
Located on the north east side of the Waipara Valley the site is on west facing gentle slope. This close planted 60 acre vineyard has 70,000 vines on it.
Sustainability
Caring for the land. now and in to the future.
We’re able to make great wine because the of land in which our grapes are grown. Being a family company, we are always conscious about what we are leaving behind for future generations. That’s why we were one of the first wineries in the Waipara Valley to have all our vineyards and winery accredited with Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ).
"Winemakers with the personal touch"
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