Proudly family owned, Urlar Estate produces outstanding single vineyard wines using organic and biodynamic principles.

Urlar is a Gaelic word that means “The Earth”. Our desire is to bring an abundance of life back to our ancient soils so you can discover the purity of flavor inherent in the land. Our journey from the highlands of Scotland to the stony soils and cool climate of Gladstone, Wairarapa has cemented our love for all things pure and true. We are thrilled to present our stunning range of wine for you to enjoy.

Founders and owners Angus and Davina Thomson hail from Scotland. As a fifth generation farmer and a family history in distilling (both grandfathers were in the whisky business) Angus’ love of the land is inherent. Angus, Davina and their three young children embrace their new life downunder.

Winemaker and Viticulturist, Guy McMaster graduated from Lincoln University with a Post-Graduate Diploma in Viticulture and Oenology. With numerous vintages from every corner of the earth under his belt, Guy and his family are well settled in to the Gladstone area. Previously, the assistant winemaker at the Escarpment Vineyard, his winemaking philosophy is vineyard-focused with minimal intervention in the winery.

Our 31 hectare vineyard located on ancient free-draining soils has 94,000 vines which when in full production will produce over 15,000 cases per year.

Our seven year inter-row crop rotation maintains healthy soils full of life and bio diversity. Every year, one row in seven will be sowed in a variety of plants and beneficial flowers.

These flowers, such as buckwheat, lupins and phacelia provide crucial protection to the vineyard attracting beneficial insects that will kill off unwanted pests that can destroy the fruit and vines.

A good example of this is the Tasmanica Wasp which preys on the Leaf roller Caterpillar – a pest that causes harmful botrytis, a type of rot in the grape bunches. Principally this practice is about giving life back to the soil and managing the vineyard as a balanced sustainable farming unit. This includes organic practices such as recycling through composts and liquid manures and increasing plant bio diversity. Using the biodynamic farming and gardening calendar, the rhythmic influences of the sun, moon, planets and stars are recognized and worked where possible.

For example, a fundamental vineyard activity such as applying foliar feeds (natural nutrients) is timed with the ascending moon, as the vine is more active during this period. By contrast, racking the wine is timed with the descending moon, ensuring the wine is calm and all the goodness and flavors are retained and not lost to the atmosphere. We began the process of organic certification and using biodynamic practices in 2007 and in 2010 became fully BioGro certified.

Our own small herd of Highland cows play a fundamental role. This treasured herd, special not only because of the links back to our Scottish heritage, but also because they are a living, breathing, part of the vineyard team. We have seven in total, two boys and five girls. Our dedicated vineyard crew look after the herd and love feeding and caring for them. Their manure is used in many biodynamic preparations we deploy. Cow horn manure, cowpat pits and in the compost piles.

One interesting preparation is cow horn manure (known as preparation 500). It is made by putting cow manure in a cow's horn and burying it below ground through the winter months. The horns are dug up the following spring and the cow dung has changed into a pleasant smelling, highly colloidal material.

Once spread throughout the vineyard, the enriched soil provides a healthy and robust environment for the growth and development of the fruit.

Moving water enfolds oxygen which stimulates microbial life. We warm our rainwater to 30°c as it is more receptive to growing the bacterial and fungal life that we prize so highly. We then move the warmed water through a system called a flow form.

A flow form is a structure that circulates the water in a figure of eight pattern. We add a preparation to the water which is circulated around the flow form for 1 hour. The preparation is then carefully applied to either the vineyard floor or the leaves on the vines.

As well as delivering a natural food source to the soils and vines, the flow form produces a sound that is reminiscent of a gentle river running over stones. This is very tranquil and calming both for us and the vines.

In the winery, careful planning and innovative design complement the wine production processes. Thin, light weight steel-framed panels form part of the building structure having sufficient insulation properties to reduce energy costs in keeping the barrels cool over the summer months.

A state of the art refrigeration system installed to cool the wine recycles the heat it produces to warm a tank heating solution. This is then circulated around the tanks to warm up the grape juice so fermentation can start. The solar panels on the roof of the winery are so effective; they heat water to boiling point greatly reducing the use of gas and electricity for water heating. The boiling water also enables the winery team to remove tartrates from the tanks thereby limiting the use of chemicals.

Variable speed drives installed on all pumps will save an estimated 35 per cent of electricity usage.

The winery sits on the shore of the large dam, created for frost fighting. Care has been taken to landscape the area to create a place of beauty and a natural habitat for a variety of birds including native duck, pukeko and kotuku. More than 1,500 native trees have been planted with a further 3,000 planned. These are irrigated from the winery’s filtered wastewater system. Angus, Davina and Guy are firmly committed to a balance in all things; achieving both environmental and economic sustainability.

We sincerely believe in a sense of place. The soil, the climate, the people and our passion. By giving back to the soil, enhancing the environment we occupy and leaving it in better shape, means this is a place for the long term and for future generations.

Our passion is to produce handcrafted, elegant wines with a purity of flavour that is achieved through integrity. In every glass we invite you to taste a sense of our place, Urlar.