Maude Wines turns 30 this year - happy birthday team Maude - and congrats on coming a long way in a short time.

Talk about being a far cry today today from its quiet beginnings as a retirement project in the early 1990s, for potter Dawn and rural GP Terry Wilson.

Sarah-Kate Dineen is the daughter of the founders and she says her parents did everything but the winemaking. They searched for and found a suitable site (a steep north facing slope on glacial moraine), bought it, planted grapes and employed a winemaker. 

"The winemaking gap in their skillset was quickly filled by the return of Dan and I from the Hunter Valley, Australia in 2006," she says, of her partner (in life and in wine), fellow winemaker Dan Dineen.

"Maude has paid unimaginable dividends over the past three decades - both in terms of wine excellence and family unity. Maude Wines is now three generations deep and all the richer for it."

The winemaking pair met while making wine in Australia and Wānaka is now the place they call home. When they first returned, they brought the winemaking in-house for the first time, taking on winemaking for other vineyards in the region to extend cashflow needed to build a winery. This had unforeseen benefits, giving them a clear idea of which sub regions they preferred for creating the style of Pinot Noir they wanted to make.  They have since leased portions of or whole vineyards in Queensberry and Lowburn as well as Wānaka.

The third generation family member is the grandson of the original founders and his name is Sam who, at 28 years old has had a three year flirtation with brewing at Parrotdog in Wellington and is now ready to get into fermentation. 

Three decades is a massive milestone for a business, especially one that began with humble intentions and zero pretensions. There are still no pretensions about Maude Wines but the intentions are notable: to make the best quality wine, expressive of its distinctive place in the cool climate of Central Otago. The two flagship grapes of Maude are Pinot Noir and Riesling,  both dry and medium in style. Smaller volumes of a third variety are also growing in volume and quality and that is Chardonnay. 

The year 2024 also marks 30 years since I wrote my first wine column and every single one of the thousands of wine columns I have written over this time has been another learning step along my own wine journey.

Happy birthday, Maude Wines and family.

Maude Riesling reviews

This week I tasted four Maude Rieslings with winemaker Jannine Rickards and wine professional Tim Russell.  

The dry wines have depth and richness whereas the medium sweet wines are lighter bodied expressions of Riesling which are beautifully balanced by acidity, which adds mid palate depth and length of flavour to the wines. 

Wine of the week

18.5/20

2024 Maude East Block Riesling Central Otago RRP $32

Dry grown at 350 metres above sea level on a 0.5 hectare vineyard site. The grapes were hand picked, foot stomped and fermented in stainless steel to preserve freshness and accentuate layers of citrus with pronounced lime zest supported by notes of honey and dried apples. A beautiful wine to drink on a sunny day, not least becuase it contains a lovely light 8% alcohol and, surprisingly, contains 69 grams of residual sugar, which is balanced by fresh zingy acidity at 10.3 grams per litre. Stunning now and will age well for at least a decade. 

18/20

2016 Maude East Block Riesling Central Otago RRP $32

This is a real treat to taste as it is no longer available for purchase and has outstanding layers of complexity with aged characters of limes, crisp green apples, a hint of honey balanced by lively lovely acidity from being grown on a 0.5 hectare vineyard at 350 metres above sea level. The finish is long and succulent.

18.5/20

2024 Maude Dry Riesling Central Otago RRP $32

Very dry (with 5 grams residual sugar per litre), very youthful, very crisp, succulent and moreish with concentrated lime flavours in a medium bodied young Riesling. This wine was made from dry grown grapes on a .5 hectare vineyard at 350 metres above sea level. Flavours of dried apples, concentrated lime and floral notes all combine in this impressive Riesling. It has longevity on its side.

17.5/20

2014 Maude Dry Riesling Central Otago RRP $32

Eight years old and incredibly youthful still with time on its side. This wine shines a light on Central Otago's great potential to make outstanding Riesling. Aromas of peach and citrus combine in a Riesling with body, mid palate weight and great length. Drinks well now and can age for another decade.