Coleraine is the flagship wine of Te Mata Estate in Hawke’s Bay and is one of New Zealand’s most highly collectible and highly valued red wines. It was first made in 1989 as a single vineyard wine and has since forged a reputation for its long term ageability and great quality as a blend from valued vineyards in the hills of Havelock. This area is historically important in the New Zealand wine industry because it is home to some of the country's first grapevines ever planted in 1892.

The wine

Coleraine derives its name from the Coleraine vineyard, home of John and Wendy Buck of Te Mata Estate. John’s late grandfather was born in Coleraine in Northern Ireland and the name has been maintained through the family home to the wine. A single vineyard wine until 1989, Coleraine is an assemblage of the finest wines produced from distinct plots within Te Mata Estate’s oldest Havelock Hills vineyards first planted in 1892.

Coleraine is made from hand harvested grapes grown on separate vineyard plots.

The winemaking

Each parcel of grapes was destemmed before a traditional warm plunged fermentation and extended maceration on skins. The resulting wines were then run to predominately new French oak barrels for 17 months’ maturation. Throughout this time, they were regularly topped and racked. The assemblage was made in January 2021. The finished wine was bottled in December 2021. The final blend is 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot and 7% Cabernet Franc.

The new 2020 Coleraine is a deep, concentrated expression of Cabernet Sauvignon with flavour notes of cedar, blackcurrants, dark cherries and plums.