About Herzog Herzog History Winery Restaurant

herzog History

The Herzog families have grown wine in Switzerland since 1630. Hans Herzog has a degree in viticulture and a master degree in winemaking from Wine University of Wädenswil, Switzerland, plus over 40 years of experience as winegrower/winemaker.

Hans & Therese Herzog established their own vineyard and winery in the Zurich wine country. From humble beginnings in the couple's garage, they became one of the foremost estates in the country. Therese, a committed epicure, quit her marketing job in 1992 to open a restaurant on the estate. She is a natural, vivacious host and people were soon queuing up to experience the combination of fine food, impeccable service, ambience and of course Hans' wines: serious, handcrafted food wines. The restaurant won high praise and a prestigious Michelin Star.

Despite their success in Switzerland, Hans still sought the ideal place to produce great Bordeaux-style wine and other varieties not possible to grow in the cooler climate of Switzerland. In pursuit of his dream to find the perfect land to grow the wines he loved his search led him to New Zealand. He found the perfect conditions in Marlborough and bought a precious plot of land in 1994. The single vineyard was planted in 1996 and the winery followed in 1998 for the first vintage.

And once again, Herzog Estate became one of the foremost artisan wineries producing a variety of handcrafted wines exported to the finest restaurants around the world. Hans is widely known as a varietal specialist and a trendsetter for many other wineries but he is keen to point out that the success of his wines lies in the vineyard management, low yields and the non-interventional wine making.

Hans has adopted an experimentalist stance, cultivating an eclectic array of varieties, including Montepulciano, Arneis, Barbera, Gewurztraminer, Semillon, Tempranillo and Zweigelt - as well as the more traditional Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The organically-managed vineyard benefits from a warm, dry microclimate and Hans ferments at cool temperatures using wild yeasts, the white wines barrel-fermented in 500 litre oak puncheons, the reds aged for 12-30 months in French oak barriques, creating wines rich in varietal character.

Therese did not stand back and eager for a new challenge, opened "Herzog's restaurant" in March 2000 - creating the same resounding success of her Michelin starred Swiss restaurant. A means of giving others the chance to experience Herzog wines - complex, structured, committed food wines - the way there are intended: shared among friends, with fine food, in the relaxing surroundings of a roaring fire or sunny verandah. The restaurant offers a haven of sheer indulgence overlooking the precious vineyard with a team of high calibre chefs from the best establishments in Europe, serving the finest fresh market cuisine where diners are able to taste a little of the pure passion behind Herzog wines.

The boutique estate and restaurant is now widely acclaimed as one of the best in New Zealand.