Family Grown
In 1981 the Village Orchard of Havelock North was established by Dai and Jenny Evans. With help from their sons they worked this land at the bottom of Arataki Road for three decades. It was a welcoming place and Farm-Gate sales were at the heart of the business. The fulfilment that came from meeting the public and selling fresh produce face to face was what drove them to grow fruit for so many years.
Our
FAMILY
ORCHARDING
HISTORY
ORCHARD TURNS TO VINEYARD
Dai and Jenny met in London in 1968. Dai being from Hawke's Bay (Waipukurau) managed to convince Jenny (Bulawayo) that life in NZ was something worth exploring. They moved to Hawkes Bay in 1981 and without a wink of experience they invested with partners and got stuck into running the Village Orchard. The orchard was a 20Ha plot of apples, pears, peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots and cherries with chooks, sheep and pigs also in the mix. Bryn, Rhys and Gareth joined the family in the 80’s and early 90’s and from a young age they were called on to help with the day to day jobs.
Due to changing market circumstances, running a small orchard in Hawkes Bay became increasingly difficult in the 90’s. An opportunity arose and the orchard was sadly uprooted in 2004. Bryn and Gareth pursued careers in rugby whilst Rhys studied viticulture and plied his trade around the world. With a renewed itch for the produce growing farm-gate sale way of life the Evans’s bought a vineyard in 2019. Rhys returned home from winemaking overseas and Village Vineyards was born. The vineyard is perched two hundred meters from the old Village Orchard site.
Due to changing market circumstances, running a small orchard in Hawkes Bay became increasingly difficult in the 90’s. An opportunity arose and the orchard was sadly uprooted in 2004. Bryn and Gareth pursued careers in rugby whilst Rhys studied viticulture and plied his trade around the world. With a renewed itch for the produce growing farm-gate sale way of life the Evans’s bought a vineyard in 2019. Rhys returned home from winemaking overseas and Village Vineyards was born. The vineyard is perched two hundred meters from the old Village Orchard site.
Running
an
orchard
was
challenging
in
the 90’s
but
the
way
of
life
was
worth
the
struggle.
VILLAGE VINEYARDS
The vineyard is a 2Ha block of Chardonnay (Menodza, CL15 and CL95), Merlot and Syrah. The plantings are 20-30 years old and are rooted in a loam-clay sitting on a bed of limestone rock. The block gained full organic certification to Biogro standards in February 2023. The vineyard work is done by us by hand and the block is farmed without cultivation. We do this to respect soil biology and maintain root zone integrity. Biodynamic preparations are applied to enhance soil fertility and strengthen our ties with the land. Animals are allowed to winter graze which helps cycle nutrients and provide manure that nurtures the soil.
Organic Winemaking
Being certified organic in New Zealand guarantees a product has been made without GMOs, animal testing and the routine use of synthetic pesticides, herbicides or insecticides. Being certified is important because it allows us to be fully transparent with our customers about what goes on the land, the fruit and ultimately into our wines. Organic growing and seasonal climates give a wonderful breadth of unique, site specific flavour in the winery. It is our job to capture this in the bottle. Our wines are made with mostly wild yeasts made from vineyard starters, little to no filtration and without the use of animal products.
6167
Running
the
business
brings us
together on
a
common goal
Our Team
Rhys Evans
- Winemaker and Grape Grower
Rhys studied Viticulture and Oenology at EIT Hawke’s Bay. After gaining his degrees he spent 10 years overseas working harvests and vintages in notable areas such as Hermitage (France), the Hemel en Aarde (South Africa) and the Okanagan (British Columbia). His belief is that growers making the best wines from their plots all share deep connections with their land. This bond is formed over many years spent understanding the climate and soil and how they work together to influence the vine. Village Vineyards is Rhys’s expression of his connection with rural Havelock North and of his family's rich growing history there.
Dai & Jenny Evans
- Backbone of the operation. Vineyard and Winery Assistants
Plenty of hard yakka goes into grape growing. For Dai and Jenny it was never part of their retirement plan but fortunately for Rhys they hate sitting around doing nothing. They can be found at day break or sun set out in the vineyard amongst the vines. Their vast experience growing fruit in Havelock North comes in handy when making decisions around the place. Dai is never too far away from his weed eater while Jenny has an expert eye at thinning time and keeps the troops well fed. It’s still their intention to wind down one day but for now they enjoy the seasonal nature of growing fruit again.