Welcome to Ruru Wines e-cellar door

Our yields are low,  and grapes are hand picked and made into beautiful wines with the help of winemaker Antony Worch, of Alexandra Vintners. The policy for all the wines is a very soft press (between 55-65%) and to have minimal interference in the fermentation and maturation processes. Our Rosé, made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes, is cold soaked for 24 hours to create a pale pink colour. The Pinot Gris is pressed at 55% and partly fermented in oak and left on its lees. The Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are pressed at 65% and matured for 10-12 month in French oak barrels, 10-20% of which are new. 

We are happy to say that our hard work is paying off, with wine reviews consistently above 90/100 points across the range.

The vineyard has two terraces, with the top being extremely bony, sandy near "hydroponic" soils. The bottom terrace has far more organic matter, mixed in with the sandy/loamy soil. Through fertigation, we irrigate and feed the vines to prevent them from stressing out. Especially the top terrace, as it has very little cation exchange capacity. Through the application of fish fertilisers/seaweed/humates and re-sowing of the swards, an effort is being made to increase the organic matter. Every second row is sown with Phacelia, Blue Lupin, Plantain, Tic Beans, Buckwheat and white oats.

After harvest we have sheep looking after the vineyard, assisting us in improving our soils.

Overlooking the Clutha River and Old Man Range, Immigrant's Vineyard is one of the most southern vineyards in the world, exactly in between the Central Otago towns of Alexandra and Clyde. On one side it is bordering Dunstan Road and the famous Central Otago Rail Trail, on the other side SH8 and Airport Road. The Alexandra Golf Course is situated on the eastern border.

The Alexandra basin is renowned for warm days followed by cool nights, contributing to intense flavours, colour and structure of our wines. The grapes ripen much slower, retaining more acidity. However, even in summer, it is not unusual to have frosts during the growing season, resulting in the need for frost fighting to protect our valuable crop.

Harvest happens much later too, usually at the end of April to early May. This creates another challenge, when birds come down into the valley in search for food. To protect the ripening berries, from the end of February until harvest, the whole vineyard is covered in nets.