Pegasus Bay is a family-owned winery on Stockgrove Road in the Waipara Valley, North Canterbury, a scenic 45-minute drive north of Christchurch. It is owned and run by the Donaldson family, who have been involved in New Zealand wine since the early 1970s and were pioneers of grape growing and winemaking in Canterbury.
### The family
Ivan Donaldson, an associate professor and consultant neurologist, became interested in wine through a book given to him by Christine, later his wife. After travelling the wine regions of Europe he returned home to plant one of the first vineyards of modern times in Canterbury, making wine in the family garage at weekends between hospital shifts and private practice. He wrote a wine column in the local paper for more than 20 years and judged at wine shows internationally; in 2012 he was awarded an Order of Merit for his contribution to neurology.
Ivan and Christine planted Pegasus Bay in 1985 with the help of their four sons, all of whom now work in the business — Edward, a trained chef, as marketing manager; Michael as local sales manager; and Paul as general manager. Edward's wife Belinda manages the hospitality side. The winery remains entirely family-owned.
### Vineyard and philosophy
The home vineyard sits under the lee of the Teviotdale Range, sheltered from Pacific easterlies, on free-draining, low-fertility gravels left by an ancient river bed. The vines are largely un-grafted and yield very low crops of small berries in loose bunches. Pegasus Bay is an accredited member of the Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand programme and a supporter of the Greening Waipara Valley project. Winemaking is minimal-intervention, with natural malolactic fermentation, clarification by settling and no fining agents.
### The wines
The estate range covers Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Semillon, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Muscat, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Merlot Cabernet and Malbec. A reserve range named for Christine Donaldson's love of opera includes Aria, Bel Canto, Virtuoso, Prima Donna, Maestro, Encore, Finale, Fortissimo and Minuetto. The Vergence and Main Divide labels sit alongside. Robert Parker's Wine Buyer's Guide awarded the winery its highest producer rating, "Outstanding"; Michael Cooper's Wine Atlas of New Zealand has described it as Canterbury's top winery; and Matthew Jukes has included the estate among 100 most iconic wine estates worldwide.
### Cellar door
The tasting room is open five days, Thursday to Monday, 10am to 5pm (closed Tuesday and Wednesday), with views over the barrel hall and cellars. Tastings are $20 per person for the Classic flight and $40 per person for the Reserve flight, refundable against any purchase of six bottles or more. Large-format bottles and a blackboard selection of aged wines are available. Group organisers should note the cellar door caters for groups of up to 10 people only and cannot provide tastings for larger parties.
### Food: the Mini Deli
The current food offer is the Mini Deli, open Thursday to Monday, 10.30am to 4.30pm. Guests assemble their own antipasto from a selection of local artisan products, add a glass or bottle from the cellar, and eat in the winery's extensive gardens, inside the deli space or on the couches by the fire. Bookings are not taken and BYO food and drink is not permitted. The winery cannot guarantee availability for groups of 15 or more, though it will try to accommodate them; enquiries go to deli@pegasusbay.com.
### Events
The grounds include a natural amphitheatre that has hosted concerts over the years, and the winery publishes an events listing. Given the stated group limits at both the cellar door and the deli, corporate, incentive and coach groups should make contact well in advance rather than arriving unannounced. Contact: +64 3 314 6869.
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