Recently I reviewed six excellent new release wines from Rockburn Wines in Central Otago, so it was a no-brainer to attended a tasting evening at the 4th Wall Theatre Wine Club, with Tim Severene, Rockburn GM presenting.
It was another brilliant evening organized by Raewyn & Brett at the 4th Wall Theatre, with around 60 eager wine lovers attending to taste a selection Rockburn Wines presented by Tim Serverne. The theatre itself is a fantastic venue for wine presentations, with great seating, brilliant acoustics and a large screen for videos / images. If any other wineries would like to come and present to our wine group, do get in touch.
Tim brings a wealth of experience and a genuine passion for wine to his role as Rockburn GM. He has over 25 years in the wine industry, his journey has seen him collaborate with some of New Zealand’s most coveted beverage brands.
His marketing background has allowed him to forge strong connections with leading wineries, importers, distributors worldwide. He’s a great presenter uses a dry wit & humor, along with detailed knowledge of the vineyards & wines, to share the Rockburn story & experience.
We learned all about the history of Rockburn Wines, the region, the different Rockburn vineyards, Parkburn Vineyard in Lowburn and Gibbston Valley Back Road Vineyard. We learned about the soils and climate, the winemaker Malcom Rees – Francis and pretty much everything that contributes to the production of these amazing Central Otago wines.
Rockburn Wines takes its name from the rugged, rock-strewn, burn-scarred landscape of Central Otago. The region is renowned for its stunning scenery of rugged mountains and picturesque lakes. They produce premium wines of intense varietal characteristics in Central Otago, the world’s most southerly grape-growing region. Central Otago, at 45º south, has a climate similar to Burgundy, France, the great Pinot Noir producing region of the world. Along with their Pinot Noir of stunning quality, other varieties include Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Rosé and Fumé Blanc.
In 1991 a 3ha ‘hobby’ block vineyard was established by Richard Bunton at Lake Hayes near Arrowtown. In 1992 The venture expanded to include a 9ha vineyard development in Gibbston Valley and in 1999 Hay’s Lake purchased and established a 33ha vineyard block at Parkburn on the shores of Lake Dunstan. In 2002 Hay’s Lake was rebranded to Rockburn Central Otago. With the increase in size, it was thought that the brand name should more truly reflect the terroir of the vineyards.
In 2005 Malcolm Rees-Francis joined Rockburn as the new Winemaker, a year later the Winery-cellar door complex opened at McNulty Road in Cromwell. In 2015 A new winery complex at Ripponvale Road in Cromwell was purchased to keep up with increasing demand in New Zealand as well as overseas.
After a taste of the 2025 Rockburn Stolen Kiss Rosé on arrival, we were treated to a fabulous line up of wines. (Stolen kiss sold out unfortunately)
2025 Rockburn Pinot Gris
2024 Rockburn ‘Fume Blanc’ Sauvignon Blanc
2025 ‘Devil’s Staircase’ Pinot Noir
2024 ‘Crimson Peak’ Pinot Noir
2024 Rockburn Pinot Noir
2022 Rockburn ‘Seven Barrels’ Pinot Noir
2023 Rockburn ‘The Art’ Pinot Noir
Tim guided us through each wine explaining the grape harvesting & wine-making processes along with hints about each wines nose, palate and flavours – all were excellent and the positive feed-back from attendees was reflected in quite a large order, prompted by very generous special pricing on the night. Thanks Tim!
You can read JB’s tasting notes the six Rockburn Wines he reviewed here:
https://nzwinedirectory.co.nz/about/wine-reviews/jbs-wine-reviews-2026/
If you would like to share the story of your wines at the 4th Wall Theatre in the future, get hold of JB and he will put you in touch with Raewyn and Brett. Visit https://www.4thwalltheatre.co.nz/
