PINOTAGE

Gisborne,  New Zealand

What makes Soljans wines taste so good?
By skillfully marrying traditional with modern techniques, we produce stylish, richly flavoured wines. Most of the white wines are cool-fermented in stainless steel tanks to preserve their very delicate aromas and flavours. To enhance their complexity and richness, our chardonnay's are fermented and matured in oak barriques and the red wines are also barrel-aged.
We are also widely acknowledged in New Zealand as being an expert producer of methode traditionelle (bottle-fermented) sparkling wines.
Our History
The story starts on the other side of the world. Over a hundred years ago the Dalmations established a reputation throughout Europe for producing quality wines. Off the coast of Split on an Island called Hvar, Bartul Soljan was one of the honest, enterprising and hard-working "Dali" winemakers helping forge that reputation.
In 1927 Bartul and his family decided to emigrate from Croatia to New Zealand with one intention: "to bring the art of winemaking to New Zealand - and the art of wine drinking!"
Arriving in West Auckland, Bartul and Rakelina and their family of five children immediately got busy. They established the Soljans family vineyard in 1932 and five years later, Frank the eldest son purchased the property on Lincoln Road, Henderson.

In 1940 the Soljans label first appeared on the scene, on bottles of sherry and port. In between becoming one of the founding fathers of the New Zealand wine industry and developing a successful wine business, Frank and his wife Rona also managed to bring three children including little brother Tony into the world.
In the swinging sixties, a now grown-up Tony entered the family business and started producing popular table wines.
In the early seventies, Tony saw another decade of change ahead that would demand better grape varieties and improved winemaking techniques. Tony embraced both by securing the best grape varieties New Zealand could offer from premier areas such as Hawke's Bay and Marlborough, and combined traditional winemaking with state-of-the-art technology.
In 1994 Tony became the sole owner of Soljans and decided to export. Now, in addition to a popular home market, almost half of Soljans wine production is enjoyed at dinner tables around the world from Japan to Europe to North America.
Today, every label that carries the Soljan's name also carries the pride and excellence of a family company spanning three generations. Pride and excellence that is in every bottle, in every glass, in every taste.

Owner and Managing Director: Tony Soljan
For over thirty years, Tony has been a key player in the New Zealand wine industry. He was the inaugural Chairman of the Winemakers of Auckland, a President of the Rotary Club of Henderson and is a Lifetime Fellow of the Wine Institute of New Zealand.
Tony's lifelong passion is to uphold the proud Soljans family tradition of producing quality wines. Always keen to share a smile and help in any way, Tony is more your down to earth, laid-back jeans and denim shirt man than your conservative collar and tie owner/manager. A key ingredient of Soljans success over the years is Tony's honest, good nature which had led to long-term relationships with both clients and suppliers. And he always likes to makes himself personally available. Even visitors notice this when they tour Soljans - Tony is often found outside making them feel welcome. He's that kind of a guy!

Winemaker: Mark Compton
Mark is well-known and respected in the New Zealand wine industry and Soljan's are delighted to have him as part of the team. Mark's mission is to "match the wine quality with the new front of house". With a Batchelor of Applied Science from Charles Sturt University and more than 20 years experience in the industry, Mark has the knowledge and vision to propel Soljans Estate into an exciting new future.

Regions
When purchasing wine, those in the know select a wine from a particular region that is renowned for growing quality fruit.
We at Soljans Estate do exactly the same. To produce our quality wines, we draw only from the leading viticultural regions of New Zealand to produce outstanding examples of New Zealand's classic wine styles - from Hawkes Bay chardonnay, merlot and cabernet sauvignon/merlot to Marlborough sauvignon blanc.
Knowledge of New Zealand regional variations is important in this process. For instance, white wines grown in the South Island are typically more aromatic and crisper than the fuller-bodied, softer wines of Hawkes Bay in the north. Late ripening red wine varieties like cabernet sauvignon have performed better in the warmth of the North Island.
By skillfully choosing the perfect fruit from the perfect region, we produce stylish, richly flavoured New Zealand wines.

See Soljans wines we sell

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