It is the extreme natural environments of the South Island, it's mountains, hills and valleys that give Waipara Hills wines their intensity, character and complexity, wines that express the soul of the south. At Waipara Hills the philosophy is all about allowing the characteristics of the harvest to shine and achieve their balance with as little interference as possible, for wines that are vibrant and bursting with flavour. Each vintage signals the beginning of a new adventure, to create wines which are recognizably from a place of contrasts and great natural beauty.

Waipara Hills have become famous for their intensity, character and complexity, an expression of the innate contrasts of New Zealand's deep south. Southern Cuvee is fashioned exclusively from parcels of grapes grown to estate vineyards in the Waipara Valley. The focus within each site contributing components is to exploit the endowments of mesoclime and soil by husbanding the vines to yield fruit which is an embodiement of the growing season. To retain vibrancy of fresh Riesling characters, the wine is vinified in temperature controlled fermenters and treated to a cold rest, off lees for a period of seven months, permitting the fullness of palate flavours and aromatic complexity to open up and evolve.