Paul and Jenny Tietjens’ vineyard is nestled against the Hexton hills on the north – western outskirts of Gisborne on the East Coast of New Zealand. 

The 30-hectare vineyard, progressively planted since 1983, has produced top quality wines for half a dozen wine companies. Since the 1989 vintage, it has won numerous national and international medals, including nine golds, plus two trophies – 1997 National Wine Show of Australia and the 1998 Air New Zealand Wine Awards.

Planted mainly in Chardonnay, the vineyard also has Semillon, Merlot, Malbec and a small amount of Viognier and a new planting of Pinot Gris that produced its first crop in 2007.

Geordie and Caroline Witters’ “Woodlands” vineyard lies amoung the foothills of “The Golden Slope” near Waihirere, where Gisborne first made its mark in the viticulture industry. With the aim of growing quality vines for quality wines, they phased out the original plantings established in the mid-70s, in favour of 15 hectares of chardonnay clones. The “Woodlands Chardonnay” made from these grapes has received numerous accolades including gold medals at the 1989 and 1996 Air New Zealand Wine Awards. Wines made by Montana, Sacred hill, Te Kairanga Wines, Lintz Estate and Amor Bendall from their Mendoza and Clone 15 grapes have also received good recognition. 

The concept of TW was born on a fishing trip to Waikarimoana in 1997, where two of the group, Geordie Witters and Paul Tietjen, travelled to Lake Waikarimoana together. They talked along the way about grapes, wine, and a few other things, and realised they both had ideas of producing top quality wines. Both vineyards had accumulated several awards for wines produced from their respective vineyards so they decided to start research into prospective winemakers, and wineries that could blend the flavours from the two vineyards into a quality wine. With encouragement and advice from local winemakers Geoff Sinnott and James Millton and a few ideas from friends they set about forming a company and finding winery space.

The area along the Hexton-Waiharere foothills had been likened to the Côte d’Or region in France by an avid Burgundy fan, hence the name ‘golden slope’ was born. Similarities are due to the medium to heavy clay base material overlaid with 20 – 30cm of light black soil, the limestone foothills and the slight elevation and slope. The Côte d’Ors’ main white grape is also the Chardonnay variety.

Both were keen to make a start in the coming vintage, 1998, with it being a strong El-Nino. They secured a wine consultant, winery space and some new French oak barrels and they were under way! Since that first year, the winemaking has moved to Kirkpatrick Estate Winery in Gisborne.

TW Wines which are grown on these slopes combine the best hand-picked grapes from the vineyards of these two most respected grape growers. They have a unique character with forward fruit flavours, arising from the terrior.

Since the 1998 vintage, grapes from the two vineyards have won 39 national and international medals, including nine gold’s, and two trophies - the 1997 National Wine Show of Australia and the 1998 Air New Zealand Wine Awards.