Mt Difficulty

Our story begins in the early 1990's with 'The Gang Of Four' - the owners of five newly-planted vineyards in Bannockburn. Upon a handshake they decided to work together to produce wine under one label. This handshake bound the owners of Molyneux, Mansons Farm, Verboeket Estate and Full Circle until 2004 when Mt Difficulty Wines Ltd was officially formed, and the majority of the individual vineyards passed into the ownership of the company. The hardest part for the Gang of Four was in choosing a name for the label.

Our first vintage was produced in 1998 and was a Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, created under the Mt Difficulty label. Prior to this, fruit had been sold to Gibbston Valley or Chard Farm. Matt Dicey came on board to help build Mt Difficulty a winery in 1998, and stayed on as head winemaker. In 2018 he completed his 20th vintage with us, expanding to aromatic white varieties and single vineyard expressions, yet always retaining Mt Difficulty’s signature style.

Today we are comprised of many vineyards, spanning Central Otago from Gibbston, to Lowburn Valley, to Bendigo, with our home still under the mountain at Bannockburn. Central Otago provides New Zealand’s only ‘continental’ style climate combined with unique soils ideally suited for growing Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris. Yet we continue to push the limits of what we are capable of, with experimental plantings of Chenin Blanc and Syrah.