Dry River

About Dry River

Dry River was established in 1979 by Dr. Neil and his wife Dawn McCallum, becoming one of Martinborough’s earliest wineries. Dr. McCallum and his friend, soil scientist Dr. Derek Milne, identified a specific area—a five-kilometer radius area that possessed the perfect conditions for their favorite wines: a temperate maritime climate, low rainfall, and the crucial free-draining gravelly soils.

The winery adheres to dry farming, encouraging vines to root deeply and express the true character of the local terroir. Additionally, the estate’s meticulous canopy management and selective crop thinning ensure that the grapes maintain outstanding quality across varying vintages.

The small, professional team treats each vine as an individual, taking a hands-on approach through every growing cycle. Today, regenerative farming guides their forward-thinking path, protecting the legacy of the founders while ensuring a sustainable future for generations to come.

The winery owns distinct vineyards that together compose wines of unique flavor:

• Dry River Estate (planted in 1979)
  The heritage site and the backbone of the estate’s renowned Pinot Noir. In a move to deepen their understanding of this historic land, the team began tagging individual vines in 2024, tracking their progress to unlock even greater precision.

• Craighall (planted in 1983)
  Defined by its stark conditions, Craighall is the coldest, windiest, and stoniest site in the Dry River collection. It is here that the wines gain their signature linear structure and vibrant acidity, a hallmark of the Dry River style.

From the discovery of this five-kilometer gravelly soil terroir to decades of meticulous viticulture, Dry River remains true to the land and to quality—bearing witness to the power of terroir and continuing to write the winemaking legend of Martinborough.

Official Website: https://dryriver.co.nz/

# ENOTECA is appointed as the Official Distributor of Dry River in Hong Kong.