This month we pop down to the Wairarapa and visit the region’s newest brand, ‘Home Fields’ : North Wairarapa Heritage Vineyards producing premium single-vineyard wines.
THE PEOPLE
Caroline and Brent Eddy, operate from their our own vineyard plus a family of boutique heritage sites that they farm in the local area. The wines they present convey the character of each site – place, people, history & terroir… Each is connected with early New Zealand and Wairarapa history in some way and each has a story to tell.
The Home Fields vineyards are small by industrial wine-growing standards, the largest being 2.4 hectares. These vineyards were the passion projects of the original families & they are an important part of the region’s character. And crucially! they are capable of producing special wines.
Home Fields’ philosophy is based on stewarding these special spots and sharing the exceptional wines they continue to produce.
“Our aim is to preserve and elevate these vineyards, respecting the people who had put so much into their establishment. And to produce wine from them that expresses the land, the region and the season. Our winemaking style is “classical”, pursuing varietal integrity and quality to present “terroir” wines to be savoured and enjoyed.”
Caroline and Brent have long been enamoured with Wairarapa wines– Winslow, Walnut Ridge, Murdoch James, Muirlea Rise, Fairmont Estate, and Martinborough Vineyards being some of the early influences.
When they moved to Wairarapa in 2020, they serendipitously discovered a family history of their own going back to the 1870s Scandinavian settlement in what was to become Mauriceville. (An incredible piece of early New Zealand history – worth a few moments to learn about.
Digging further, they discovered an ancestor, George William Jackson. George grew up in Mauriceville in the 1890s. Corporal Jackson joined the Canterbury Mounted Rifles attached to the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, en route to Egypt. Like too many, he was never to return. They located George’s war records and found a way to assemble his war medals, a small link to the past that helped to connect them to their new home.
THE PLACE
Home Fields operates from their original vineyard, planted in 1993, plus several additional lease vineyards, all situated on the alluvial plain between the Waipoua and Ruamahanga Rivers.
These lifeblood rivers are watersheds for the Tararua ranges to the west, forming a system running downstream through the region’s wine-growing districts of Gladstone and Martinborough and on to Lakes Wairarapa and Onoke and to the sea. These waters are the genesis of Wairarapa’s name, translating to “glistening or sparkling waters.” The vineyards are 152m above sea-level, and the Opaki micro-climate is influenced by its elevation and by the proximity of the Tararua Ranges.
Prior to the Eddys taking ownership, the original Home Fields vineyard was part of the Waipipi Estate vineyard, which has since been broken into smaller parcels. From 1909, three generations of the Bunny family lived in the Waipipi homestead including twin brothers, who farmed the land upon their return from WWII. The planting of the Waipipi Estate vineyards occurred in the early 1990’s and originally included Chardonnay, Riesling, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir.
Pinot Noir: Clones 5, 10/5, 115, 667, 828, 777 & Abel are planted in north-south orientation. Most vines are 30+ years old. Age, vineyard conditions & clones afford excellent options in winemaking with a blend of structure, phenolic & flavour characteristics.
Lansdowne Estate was planted in 1998, on the site of the original Wairarapa vineyard Brancepeth Estate. 119m above sea-level. Pinot Noir, Syrah & Pinot Gris. Dry-farmed. The vineyard sits atop a natural watershed as the land drains East-to-West into the Ruamahanga. The vineyard sits beside the Ruamahanga. Their vinesman Dylan makes good use of this over the summer months! Planted in north-south orientation. 2m row spacing with close-planting. Protected from the worst of the prevailing winds.
You can read more about the history and place here: https://www.homefieldswine.com/story
Aspiring to be as balanced and as low impact as possible in their plant husbandry, land and resource management. Brent spends a lot of time thinking about humus, worms and endophyte-plant relationships!
THE WINES
The Home Fields label includes Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Rosé. All wines are available individually or in 2, 3, half or full cases, or even by the pallet if you so wish!
The current Homes Fields Wines available are as follows:
Homes Fields Chardonnay 2023
Floral aroma – maybe pineapple, honey nougat, citrus, baked cheesecake … Mmmmmm! Palate blends fresh grape-fruity acidity with rich, creamy spiced sweetness. Hand-harvested. Lightly oaked.
Homes Fields Single-vineyard, Pinot Noir Rosé 2023
Dry. Structured. Fresh juicy fruit aromas – grapefruit, pineapple & strawberry. Close your eyes & think of Sauvignon Blanc! Fresh on the palate with cool acidity, soft tannin & presence.
Homes Fields Single-vineyard premium Pinot Noir 2022
Structured & savoury, full bodied Pinot Noir. Our sampling suggested flavours including ripe raspberry, liquorice & chocolate with a definite smokey nose. A complex & velvety full finish on the palate. Dusky ruby colour. Toothsome tannins and acidity. Sumptuous. A Pinot Noir for the grown up.
Homes Fields Single-vineyard premium Pinot Noir 2023
A wine whose character has intrigued us throughout its development. Flavours raged and receded throughout ferment. Texture shifting from weighty to silky. Classic Wairarapa expression – complex savoury flavours on a silky bed of pert & poised acidity & complementary tannins. Flavours evoked include dark cherry, vanilla & mushroom. There’s a sense of black liquorice strap & dark cocoa too. Whatever you find, very confident you will agree this is sensuous, balanced & complex wine. Sophisticated & powerful. Worthy of your time. Will cellar well.
Caroline and Brent have a range of beautiful gift packages presented in Flax ketes too, and deliver across the world too with Wine Collective Direct.
To read more about individual wines and purchase online, visit:
https://www.homefieldswine.com/buywine
COLLABORATION
Home Fields supports ShelterBox, an international disaster relief charity, and is currently offering a gifting option combining some Wairarapa goodness with a $40 donation to ShelterBox for purchase of a solar light. All presented in a beautiful flax kete.
Home Fields also donate a percentage of their revenue to a global carbon removal initiative, https://climate.stripe.com/YxTTOD
https://www.homefieldswine.com
* Get Featured – If you would like to be featured in 2025, visit: https://nzwinedirectory.co.nz/about/featured-winery-campaign/
JB’s Tasting Notes
Home Fields Wine ‘Moss Oaks’ SV Rosé 2023, Wairarapa NZ
Mid watermelon pink / rose gold in colour. Lovely fresh aromas of strawberry, raspberry & mandarin citrus notes in the nose. A crisp, dry but juicy palate has flavours of ripe summer berry fruit, a hint of tart apricot & subtle spice note. A zesty acid backbone & fine tannin structure finishes long & moreish – Lightly chill for an excellent ‘Summer BBQs on the deck’ rose.
Home Fields Wine SV Pinot Noir 2023, Wairarapa NZ
Lighter translucent raspberry – ruby red in colour. Floral aromas at first in the nose then cherries, red berry & savoury forest floor, dried herb notes follow. Medium weighted palate with ripe cherry & red berry fruit flavours, refreshing acidity, fine tannin ‘grip’ & subtle oak adding texture & complexity. Long, concentrated & elegant finish. Still young but an excellent new release pinot.
Home Fields Wine SV Pinot Noir 2022, Wairarapa NZ
Mid ruby red in colour with the faintest haze. The nose unfolds with aromas of dark cherries, red berries, savoury dried herb, hints of barrel spice & lees. On the palate raspberry, cherry & cranberry fruit flavours, savoury herb & spices, while fine grippy tannins & a youthful racy acidity add layers of texture & complexity. Dry, concentrated, intense finish. Excellent.