Producer profile: Felton Road Wines

Region: Bannockburn, Central Otago
Founded: 1991
Owner: Nigel Greening
Vineyard holdings: 34 hectares under vine
Winemaker: Blair Walter
Annual production: 150,000 bottles

It was retired ophthalmologist Stewart Elms who first spotted the potential of a north-facing slope in Bannockburn, rich in schist and loess soils that have come to define viticulture in Central Otago. He planted the first vines in 1991, naming the estate after the historic Felton Road, which winds through the heart of the Bannockburn vineyards. Six years later, it was purchased by a visiting marketing entrepreneur from the UK: Nigel Greening. Buoyed by Greening's uncompromising passion and long-term vision, Felton Road has transitioned from a promising newcomer into an international superstar.

Today, this seminal New Zealand producer operates under a strict domaine model, releasing 150,000 bottles annually made exclusively from estate-grown fruit. The holdings cover 34 hectares of vineyards, all Demeter-certified biodynamic, organically farmed since 2002 and more recently guided by regenerative principles. Structured and wonderfully complex Pinot Noir remains the winery's star turn, accounting for 70% of total production. Meanwhile, the Chardonnay (20%) and Riesling bottlings round out the range, the former widely acclaimed as among the finest New World interpretations of white Burgundy. Each label – from the graceful Calvert Pinot to the precise Block 2 Chardonnay – deliver restraint, minerality, and poise. These exceptional wines are now sold in 45 countries – often selling out before release.

Unusually, Blair Walter, the founding winemaker, has remained at the helm since the very beginning. With degrees from Lincoln University and the University of California, Davis, Walter has brought immense technical skill and nuance to this New World estate. Under his and Greening's direction, Felton Road has become a reference point not only for Kiwi Pinot Noir but also for sustainability and land stewardship.

Q&A: Nigel Greening, owner, Felton Road Wines



Felton Road has been a pioneer in biodynamic viticulture long before it was widely accepted. How have you seen attitudes in the global trade - especially in the UK - evolve around sustainability over the past two decades?

This is actually very hard to judge. We have a very wide global reach and within those markets it is hard to track those sorts of changes. We'll see a greater awareness, but that's because we are known to be biodynamic, so that cohort will be attracted to us. There are definitely a lot more wine lists with such categories, but you see very little on regenerative, probably because it is a lot newer, and in general isn't marked by having certifiers. But the term 'sustainable' is open to abuse - everybody claims they are, yet only a relatively small number of wineries are really serious about it.

Given Felton Road's renowned status and allocation model, how do you balance exclusivity with accessibility?

We start that balance by rejecting exclusivity. Great wines should be inclusive - they're about bringing people together, about sharing, not about being exclusive and shutting people out. Of course, that starts with price, and while our wines aren't cheap, we have a formal policy of not putting the price up beyond inflation. That means in reality our wines are now well under half the price of the wines regarded as our peers 15 years ago, and in that time our quality has soared.

With Central Otago now firmly on the fine wine map, where do you see the next evolution in regional expression or innovation coming from?

Right now we are seeing an explosion of Pinot Noir of the highest quality coming from more and more places: Patagonia, Switzerland, South Africa, Germany, Alto Adige, Eastern Europe, The Loire, the Yonne... and the UK will probably join the club; there have never been so many exciting Pinot Noirs being made. Not long ago it was believed that only a very few places on earth might make great Pinot. I don't see any shortage of contenders - it takes patience, dedication to finding those magic spots to plant, more patience in designing and creating exciting vineyards and finally, patience in allowing those places to express themselves authentically.