1986

In 1986, the Awatere was a distant landscape dotted with sheep and thought too extreme for vines, so Peter Vavasour had the pick of the Valley. With sheep and beef farming suddenly marginal, Peter started looking to diversify, and planted 30 acres of grapes in 1985-86.

Vavasour’s first vintage was in 1989 and it wasn’t long before they discovered their punt had paid off, with their Sauvignon Blanc winning Champion Wine in the 1989 Air New Zealand Wine Show.

Source

https://vavasour.com/our-story

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/5a69d124c04a43c4b6aa58798eb0364f