Esk Valley Pinot Gris

It’s a place. It’s a winery. It used to be called Glenvale (not to be confused with Gloriavale!) but we now know ’em as Esk Valley.

Built in 1933 by an Englishman (Robert Bird) who produced fortified wine from the 30s through to the 70s until the Esk name was created for a premium range of table wines. These days owned under the umbrella of the highly successful Villa Maria brand, although they do operate as an independent winery with their own winemaking team and vineyards including winemaking legend Gordon Russell.

Their 2025 Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris is made with fruit from vineyards nestled under the Ruahine mountain range, a slightly cooler sub climate of Hawke’s Bay and perfect for producing high quality Gris! Talking about this latest release the Esk crew said “2025 was a fantastic vintage in Hawke’s Bay which resulted in this delicious and refreshing Pinot Gris.”

The winemaking crew at Esk describe this one as “An elegant and delicious style of Pinot Gris with aromas and flavours of baked pear, honey, citrus and apricot. It is mouth-filling and complex, with a hint of residual sugar perfectly balancing the acidity. It finishes long and dry.

There ain’t no better way to enjoy this style of Grus than nicely chilled with soft cheeses, pork and chicken or seafood dishes.