Introduction to Delegat's Wine Estate

Delegat's Wine Estate is one of New Zealand's largest family owned and family managed winemakers. The Managing Director is Jim Delegat and the Executive Director is his sister, Rosemari Delegat. Their parents, Nikola and Vidosava, founded the family wine business in New Zealand in 1947 after emigrating in the late 1930s from what is modern day Croatia. The original vineyard and winery was established in 1947 at Henderson, west of Auckland city. The grapes have long disappeared but the site is still home to today's modern wineryOur extensive winemaking experience has taken us to New Zealand’s premier wine growing regions, Hawke's Bay and Marlborough. Our vineyards were among the first to be established in these regions, and are now regarded as some of the best in the country. We focus on producing a limited range of super premium wines from the grape varieties that thrive in the cool maritime growing conditions of these regions.Our Delegat’s Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay are grown in red metal and gravel soils in Hawke’s Bay on the east coast of the North Island. Our Sauvignon Blanc is grown is on the ancient alluvial river deposits in the world renowned Marlborough region.Our wines benefit from ongoing research, an investment in winemaking and viticultural technology and processes. We were the first New Zealand winery to ferment Chardonnay in a barrel, and we continue to use only the best French barriques for our Reserve wines, as well as temperature controlled tanks to capture the concentrated cool climate flavours that have made New Zealand wines so popular throughout the world.