Seifried Estate 50th vintage and new label

I have been following the growth of Seifried Estate for decades, since the early 1980’s in fact, when I first started developing an interest in wine. I clearly remember ‘doing the wine trail’ when it consisted of just three or four wineries and Seifried Estate was one of those when they were located on the edge of the Upper Moutere village.

This year was their 50^th vintage making outstanding wines from vineyards that have expanded from a small plot in Upper Moutere to large vineyards across the Waimea Plains.

I’m sure that when Agnes and Hermann Seifried sat at their kitchen table in 1972 hand grafting grape vine cuttings onto rootstock, they could not have imagined that in 2025, they would be celebrating their 50^th wine vintage.

As one of a handful of modern era winemaking pioneers in New Zealand, Agnes and Hermann have nursed these early plantings on their tiny vineyard in Upper Moutere to evolve into one of the largest family-owned wineries in New Zealand.

Now, alongside their three grown children, the Seifried family have a multi-generation wine business. “Having the kids all come home and working alongside Hermann and I has been a dream. Each has their own areas of interest and expertise, and we work together very well,” says Agnes.

Selling wines to all corners of the globe, three key things have underpinned the success of the Seifried Estate brand; firstly, an incredible dedication to hard work and excellence in everything they do; secondly, a core desire to produce delicious, value-for-money wines families can enjoy every day. And finally, a very strong, consistent brand.

As this family of winemakers move forward from their early roots, with the welcome return of their children working hands-on in the business, they have cautiously evolved their branding to ensure the Seifried name remains as authentic and relevant as ever. The latest evolution has taken a long time to come to fruition, but I think the beautiful new label that carries the Seifried signature will shine brightly for many years to come.

One of the keys to their success is the family’s dedication to delivering quality wines at affordable prices and this has been exemplified by two recent trophies. The first is the locally awarded Neil Hodgson Pinot Noir Trophy that was judged recently by Master Sommelier Cameron Douglas, Marlborough winemaker and show judge Kate Bennett (Rose Family Estate, Marlborough) and me.

After the awards dinner Anna Seifried said “We’re absolutely buzzing here today after the announcement of the Neil Hodgson Pinot Noir trophy last night – thank you!”

Of the winning wine Cameron said “the Seifried Estate Pinot Noir 2024 has a delicious bouquet and palate from start to finish, a vibrant and powerful wine with a frame of ripe red berry fruits and new oak, there’s a softness mid palate and as the wine opens out in the glass baking spices with vanilla and clove begin to show more. The fruit soaks this up easily. A lovely wine with poise and tension, excellent acid line and length.”

Also at the awards dinner the Colin Harrison Memorial Trophy was won by Moutere Hills with their

Moutere Hills Chardonnay 2023 that Cameron described as having “an excellent youthful colour with a splash of green hue and plenty of polish. A youthful bouquet with a core of ripeness led by pomaceous scents of apple then white peach, some mineral layers of clay and stone then barrel. Dry on the palate with a vibrant acid acid-line and core fruit flavours mirror the bouquet. Balanced and well made with judicious use of oak. A wine that seems to showcase place and ripeness of fruit over wine making inputs.”

And earlier in October Seifried Estate’s Sweet Agnes Winemakers Reserve 2024 won the trophy for the best sweet wine at the 2025 National Wine Awards of Aotearoa, adding to the very long list of gold medals and trophies the wine has won over many years.

Another award of note is the Double Gold Medal at the New Zealand International Wine Show for the Old Coach Road Rose 2025. This is an outstanding result for a young wine that retails for around $15, making it exceptional value for money.

Published in the Nelson Mail 30-09-2025