Coleraine derives its name from the Coleraine vineyard, home of John & Wendy Buck of Te Mata Estate. John’s late grandfather came from Coleraine in Northern Ireland and the name has been maintained through the family properties to the wine.

The first Coleraine was made from the 1982 vintage and created an instant sensation within New Zealand for unsurpassed quality. Originally a single vineyard wine, from 1989 Coleraine has been an assemblage of the finest Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc wines produced from thirty plots within Te Mata Estate’s nine Hawke’s Bay vineyards. Coleraine’s reputation for quality has extended, from the original 1982 release, over a line of vintages unbroken except for the cool 1992 and 1993 years. When Coleraine is well stored it develops and intensifies in bottle for 15-20 years from harvest.

For our Coleraine 25 year celebrations held in May 2007 at the historic Hawkes Bay Opera House we produced a fully history of the wine. You can download this here.

“The finest wine ever made in New Zealand" - The Dominion Post, 2009