At over 125 years old Church Road are one of New Zealand’s oldest wine producers with a glowing international reputation. Just quietly they’re one of our favourites and an ABSOLUTE must visit if you’re in the Hawke’s Bay! They’ve made a name for themselves as a world class producer especially in the styles of Chardonnay, Syrah and Bordeaux style reds.

Tom McDonald – The Father of Red Wine in NZ.

Tom McDonald aka The Father of Red Wine in New Zealand! Tom was a spotty faced teenager in 1921 when his career in wine kicked off. Over the next 55 years he turned winemaking in Hawke’s Bay on its head, scooping many accolades for his premium, complex Chardonnay and Bordeaux style reds. You don’t get awarded the Order of the British Empire for nothing you know!

TOM – the pinnacle of Church Road winemaking

Church Road TOM is the pinnacle of winemaking at Church Road and only ever released in top vintages. Make no mistake, these are wines that sit among NZ’s very best and have wine collector’s around the globe scrambling to secure stocks every release.

TOM is their tribute to one of New Zealand’s winemaking legends, Tom McDonald. Legendary wines for a legendary bloke.

Tom released NZ’s first commercial Cabernet Sauvignon in 1949, in later years pioneering New Zealand Chardonnay. By the 1960’s his Cabernets were being compared to some of the First Growth wines of Bordeaux. So yep, there’s certainly a bit of pressure when it comes to a release under the TOM label!