Woollaston Estates unique four-level gravity-fed winery designed by Oregon winery architect Larry Ferar, supported by Arthouse Architecture of Nelson, has been designed to incorporate the best of traditional winemaking practices with state-of-the-art modern equipment to produce award-winning wine.

Built entirely of concrete, the gravity-fed winery (also referred to as a gravity-flow winery) is set into the Mahana hillside where the living roof of native tussock and shrubs allow it to blend gently with the surrounding Nelson landscape.

Used to make all of the Woollaston Estates wines, the gravity-fed winery is designed for the gentlest possible handling of grapes and wine, which is particularly beneficial in the making of top level Pinot Noir.

The multi-level winery uses gravity to transfer the wine through its evolution from grape to bottle. Pinot Noir grapes are hand-sorted and de-stemmed at the top level of the winery utilising a specialised de-stemmer, the only one of its kind in Australasia. It gently plucks the grapes from the stems, leaving more of the fruit intact which facilitates extended fermentation time and the retention of more berry fruit aroma in the wine.

Grapes then slide down a stainless steel chute to fermentation vats on the next level. The wine continues its gravity-propelled journey through the winery building before being bottled under gravity on the bottom level months later. href="/winery/interactive-map">Click here to see an interactive map of the different levels of the gravity-winery and how the gravity-flow operates.

The top three levels of the gravity-fed winery are dedicated to winemaking while the bottom level contains wine ageing in barrels, the bottling line, wine library and The Cellars - the large hall which doubles as a winery working area and as a function room for concerts and dinners.

As a busy working winery we are unable to conduct winery tours on a regular basis, but these can be arranged for groups with advance notice.

For further information about our wine style click here, or to purchase award-winning wines visit our online shop.