10 | New cellar door boosting business Designed by Auckland practice FDA Architects, the 350sqm building is contemporary in design, affording a relaxing and calming space. Wooing Tree Vineyard T T Richard Loader REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT The Wooing Tree’s decision to redevelop its 26-hectare vineyard in Cromwell township into a residential subdivision also required the development of a new cellar door, bigger and better than before, and in a well-positioned location. “The cellar door would have ended up in the middle of the subdivision, so it wouldn’t have been ideal,” says Steve Farquharson, who together with his wife Thea, own and operate Wooing Tree. “The cellar door is a very important part of our business. We had some land right beside State Highway 8B and opposite the town, so built the new Wooing Tree cellar door and kitchen there.” Steve and Thea also constructed The Wooing Tree Walkway, a new cycling and walking underpass, that links to the Big Fruit Reserve next to the Cromwell Mall, and down to the lake. “We’re right on the bike trail that goes from Cromwell to Clyde and links all the way up to Dunedin. The trail from Cromwell to Queenstown is currently being built and will be finished next year,” says Steve. “The next stage will be Cromwell to Wanaka. So, Cromwell will be the hub of that trail. If cyclists come into town they will come up past our cellar door. It’s already very busy, and we have our underpass right beside the cellar door.” Designed by Auckland practice FDA Architects, the 350sqm building is contemporary in design, affording a relaxing and calming space with big windows and a magnificent view of the Pisa Range. The building is complemented with a large outdoor space that includes a grassed area and large patio. “We opened the doors to the new cellar door in November 2024, and what I’m noticing is that people are loving the space. It’s three times bigger than the original, and includes a welcome area and shop, a tasting area with booth-style seating, bar leaners for more casual tastings, and down the back we have the restaurant seating for 30-plus people. Along with the tasting experience, we’re offering lunches consisting of shared plates and platters to complement the wine. There’s potential to move into evening dining on a Friday and Saturday night, and we may be able to start that this summer.” Steve says that while the original Wooing Tree vineyard has been subdivided, Wooing Tree will continue to grow grapes with the purchase of another vineyard about 11 kilometres up the road. “That vineyard was already half planted, and we transplanted half our own vines, 20,000, from our old vineyard to the new one. “That’s never been done on that scale before, and it was huge job. So, we have the same amount of grapes, just up the road. We also shifted some vines to around the outside of the subdivision beside the new cellar door, so there’s a small vineyard there that wraps around the highway.” The Wooing Tree takes its name from a lone pine that sits on the land that became the vineyard. In days of yore the tree was used by locals for the purpose of wooing. The tree now takes pride of place in the heart of the subdivision, with a little park around it, where it may still be used for the purposes of wooing. YOUR PROJECT DELIVERY SPECIALISTS +64 21 758 374 Wooing Tree Vineyard. Checketts McKay Law Your Local Supporters. Checketts McKay law have been serving the Central Otago communities for generations. The land and the people of Central Otago are at the heart of what we do. Checketts McKay Law are proud supporters of Wooing Tree Vineyard. www.cmlaw.co.nz www.vinpro. co.nz VinPro Limited 13 Wolter Crescent, PO BOX 66 Cromwell 9310 Telephone: +64 3 445 3535 WELCOMING OUR NEW SENIOR WINEMAKER, AUSTIN BLACK! We're excited to welcome Austin to our team. With years of experience, he’s here to o er expert winemaking services including processing, production, or preparing your wine for bottling, VinPro also provides wine bottling, labelling, warehousing, and distribution services.
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