Dry River Wines

Dry River Wines Bringing back the proof since 1979. Martinborough wines, counted in cases. Offered twice a year.

Spring has arrived in Martinborough.Budburst has begun in the Chardonnay, the days are getting longer, and the wind has ...
04/09/2026

Spring has arrived in Martinborough.

Budburst has begun in the Chardonnay, the days are getting longer, and the wind has wasted no time reminding us where we are.

There’s a different kind of momentum once budburst begins. Another growing season is moving, and while we know these vineyards well, we don’t yet know what this season will ask of us.

That’s the exciting part.

Vintage 2027 is underway. From here, we’ll keep a close record of what the season gives us.

Ben came back from the NZ Wine Business Forum with one question still on his mind.It was a question people kept asking h...
28/08/2026

Ben came back from the NZ Wine Business Forum with one question still on his mind.

It was a question people kept asking him: are you here for the long haul?

It came up more than once, particularly with people in the trade. And the more we thought about it, the more it made sense. Choosing to list, represent or get behind a wine is an investment too. People want to know there is a direction beyond the next release.

There is.

We care enormously about each vintage, but we don’t think one vintage at a time. The vineyard, the people around Dry River, the relationships we build and the reputation of the estate all ask for a much longer view.

Another growing season is beginning. We’re thinking well beyond it.

Most of the work behind fine wine happens long before a bottle is opened.Here, small winemaking trials help Ben understa...
04/08/2026

Most of the work behind fine wine happens long before a bottle is opened.

Here, small winemaking trials help Ben understand how each wine is developing and what, if anything, it needs next.

It is quiet, considered work. The kind that rarely gets seen, but shapes every vintage.

The best emails start with "we thought we might need to pour it down the sink."Seventeen years in a cellar under the hou...
16/07/2026

The best emails start with "we thought we might need to pour it down the sink."

Seventeen years in a cellar under the house. Not perfect conditions. Still beautiful.

This is what these wines are for.

Fine wine takes time.

- Jillian

Winter can make a vineyard appear still.But for us, it's one of the most considered seasons of the year.While the vines ...
14/07/2026

Winter can make a vineyard appear still.

But for us, it's one of the most considered seasons of the year.

While the vines rest, every vine is pruned by hand, one at a time. Each decision influences balance, vine health and ultimately the character of the vintage to come.

It's quiet work. Deliberate work. And while it rarely receives the same attention as harvest, it lays the foundation for everything that follows.

Fine wine takes time.

Our thanks to Amber-Jayne Bain for capturing the quiet beauty of winter at Dry River.

Winter in the estate vineyard.Clayton and the team are working through pruning now — the same hands, the same rows, year...
10/06/2026

Winter in the estate vineyard.

Clayton and the team are working through pruning now — the same hands, the same rows, year after year. That continuity matters. The vines respond to it in ways that are difficult to articulate but easy to taste.

This is where the 2027 vintage begins.

One bottle done.
05/06/2026

One bottle done.

One of our own is competing in the North Island regional competition on Thursday. We're all behind you, Neil!
03/06/2026

One of our own is competing in the North Island regional competition on Thursday. We're all behind you, Neil!

Dry River is made in the vineyard. But it comes alive at someone else’s table.That’s the part of this work I treasure mo...
29/05/2026

Dry River is made in the vineyard. But it comes alive at someone else’s table.

That’s the part of this work I treasure most — the notes that find their way into my inbox from the people who are actually opening these bottles. Our allocation members are engaged, knowledgeable, and generous with their thoughts, and those conversations mean more to us than we can easily say.

We’ll be sharing more of them here.

— Jillian

Named in The Real Review's Top Wineries of New Zealand 2026. Grateful to for the rigorous and important work they do f...
19/05/2026

Named in The Real Review's Top Wineries of New Zealand 2026. Grateful to for the rigorous and important work they do for New Zealand wine.

Four vintages in, we are proud of everything we have built here - and more certain than ever that the best of Dry River is still ahead of it.

To our team — Clayton, Neil, Frank, Chay, Tee, and Phim. The people who make this place what it is. This one is yours too.

Fine wine takes time.

— Ben & Jillian

Address

Puruatanga Road
Martinborough
5741

Telephone

+6463069388

Website

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