Te Whare Ra

Te Whare Ra is a Te Reo Māori name meaning ‘house in the sun’


Te Whare Ra (TWR) is a small vineyard and winery located in the Marlborough sub-region of Renwick.  It is owned by winemakers Anna & Jason Flowerday. 

The 11 Ha organic vineyard which has predominantly loam over clay soils, is one of the oldest in Marlborough, originally planted in 1979. Yields are kept low, the vineyard is managed with a combination of organic and biodynamic practices and all the fruit is hand picked and hand-sorted.

The wines are made with minimal intervention in a small winery which has been specifically set up for small batch winemaking. TWR produces Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, an aromatic blend called Toru, Rose, Pinot Noir and Syrah. The vineyard is hand-tended as much as humanly possible;  each vine is tended individually, coaxing the best from it rather than a machine which does the exact same thing to each vine. The aim is to grow great quality fruit and this starts with great quality dirt or Good Dirt. If a vine has a good start in the soil it can grow fruit which is balanced in all its components, is physiologically ripe and therefore requires minimal winemaking intervention once it gets into the winery.