Winter's morning view looking to the Three Deans Fiddler’s Green is the original name of the property dating back to the time of the previous owners, the late Commander Sydney John Hales and his wife Falaise. The land on which the vineyard is now established was acquired in 1994 and the first plantings occurred in October of that same year.  Situated on Georges Road, the vineyard announces itself to the world by it’s imposing double gates and entrance way. Olive trees line the driveway which opens up to a Mediterranean style wine sales building set amongst the vines. The owners live on site in an apartment above the wine tasting and sales cellar. The soils on Fiddler's Green are underlain by weathered gravels with silt loam to clay loam matrix textures occurring at depths of one to two metres from the surface. They are free draining soils of medium fertility. This contributes to low yields of optimally ripened high quality grapes, which fully express the unique qualities of our vineyard site. The vineyard now comprises a total planted area of 13.3ha (30 acres) in five grape varieties: Riesling, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer. It is a superior vineyard site located on a north-facing terrace overlooking the Waipara river. The climate of the Waipara Valley is typified by hot dry summers and long autumns which yield grapes of intense flavour and optimal ripeness. Fiddler's Green is a foundation member of the NZIWP (now Sustainable Winegrowing NZ) which provides a framework for environmentally and economically sustainable viticultural practices. All grapes are estate grown and picked at low cropping levels. Gentle handling of the fruit coupled with meticulous attention to detail in the winery completes the quality process.       Photographs taken by Adam Robinson