Winemaking at Featherstone Estate Winery

As both vineyard manager and winemaker, David Johnson is able to work throughout the season to enhance the grapes' natural attributes, ensuring that at harvest balanced wine is produced with minimal winemaking embellishments.

"To do my job as winemaker, I need to be involved in the grape growing. There are so many decisions that affect the flavours and quality of the wine". A crucial decision is when to harvest and this is determined by tasting the grapes for the perfect balance of acid, sugar and desired flavour profiles. Harvesting the fruit at its peak is essential to David, and this control is a key advantage for small wineries.

Winemaking and grape growing are both scientific and intuitive processes. Featherstone wines reflect the special character of the grapes, as well as the artistry of the winemaker, and are pointedly food-oriented wines, lean, clean and brisk.

In 1999, the first Featherstone wines were vinified. Production was limited to three wines (Chardonnay, Sussreserve Riesling, and Cabernet Franc) and a little less than 300 cases were produced. In 2000, we produced six wines, and under 600 cases. In 2001 our production was 1100 cases, and in 2002, about 2500 cases.The vineyard will only yield enough grapes to produce 4,000 cases of wine a year, so our production will never exceed that very limited level.

Please see our winelist for current wines and styles.

Featherstone was one of the first wineries to use Canadian oak barrels, producing an exceptional barrel-fermented Canadian oak Chardonnay in 2002. Until recently, oak from Canada had not been considered for winemaking. The integration of our wine with oak grown in the same climate and region is an exciting new concept. Encouraged by early successes, Canadian oak at Featherstone will continue to play an expanding role.

Featherstone winemaker David Johnson recently worked the harvest at Sileni Winery (www.sileni.co.nz) in Hawkes Bay, toiling away for six weeks in March and April 2007.