our story

Mountford Estate is a boutique vineyard and winery set on a hillside in a stunning park-like environment in the Waipara region, of North Canterbury New Zealand.

The story behind Mountford is one of passion. This passion is shown simply by tasting our wine. With attention to every detail, the result is an elegant, stylish and unforgettable experience.

The 18 year old vineyard grows on an area of land dubbed 'The Golden Mile'. A high amount of heat and light, combined with the soil make-up of clay on top of marl with active limestone deposits, are just some of the reasons for the site being selected.

Owners, Kathryn Ryan and Kees Zeestraten and Winemaker C.P. Lin have a commitment and strong bond to Mountford and the wines in which they create.

Established in 1991, the vineyard was planted predominantly with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines. This year a further four hectares of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling vines were planted, increasing the vineyard to 10 hectares. Over the past two years many improvements have been made in the vineyard and the winery was doubled in size to increase efficiency.

At Mountford Estate, though we are not certified as a 'Bio-Dynamic Vineyard', we do place a huge importance on using bio-dynamic methods in the vineyard. But it's more than just "being green". From the moment a young vine is placed into the earth, to the harvesting of the grapes, right through to the winemaking practices, as much as possible is carried out by hand and even foot! Mountford's premiere Pinot Noir label, 'The Gradient' is crafted by placing the whole bunches of grapes into French Oak barrels and following true Burgundian style, stomped by foot.

The dedicated team here at Mountford Estate take immense pride in absolute quality and excellence.