Mission Estate

Mission Estate's story begins in 1838, when Bishop Jean Baptiste Pompallier led a group of French Marist missionaries (members of the Société de Marie, a Catholic religious order founded in Lyon in 1816) to evangelise the South Pacific. The order needed sacramental wine for Mass, and importing reliable supplies from Europe to a fledgling colony was prohibitively expensive and unreliable. In 1851 the Marists planted their first vineyards at the original mission station at Pakowhai in Hawke's Bay, establishing what would become New Zealand's oldest continuously operating winery. In 1858 the mission moved five kilometres north to Meeanee, transporting its cottage on steam-powered traction engines and subsequently building residence halls, a school, and St Mary's Church (completed 1863). At Meeanee, Brother Cyprian Huchet, the son of a Loire Valley vigneron and one of New Zealand's first qualified winemakers, rose to Cellar Master in 1870 and oversaw the country's first recorded commercial wine sale that year (a parcel of mostly dry reds). Under Huchet's direction the Mission introduced a press house and grape crusher, and in 1889 won New Zealand's first international wine medal at the Paris Wine Awards. Disastrous flooding in 1909 forced relocation to higher ground at Greenmeadows, Taradale, and in 1911 the wooden seminary building La Grande Maison was sawn into eleven sections and hauled five kilometres to its present site over two days using traction engines. The 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake (magnitude 7.8, one of New Zealand's deadliest natural disasters) destroyed the mission's stone chapel and killed nine people on the estate.

• First vineyards planted 1851 at the original mission station at Pakowhai by French Marist missionaries (Société de Marie) for sacramental wine production
• Mission moved to Meeanee in 1858 where Brother Cyprian Huchet, son of a Loire Valley vigneron, served as Cellar Master 1870-1899 and made New Zealand's first commercial wine sale in 1870
• Won New Zealand's first international wine medal at the 1889 Paris Wine Awards under Brother Cyprian Huchet's direction
• Relocated to current Greenmeadows site at Taradale in 1911 after 1909 floods; La Grande Maison hauled 5 km in 11 sections by traction engine; 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake destroyed the stone chapel and killed nine

Mission Estate is the only nineteenth-century New Zealand wine producer still under its original management and the only NZ winery owned by a religious order, a distinction that is rare even by global standards (a small handful of European Benedictine and Cistercian monasteries continue to operate vineyards, but few outside Europe). The Marist priests and brothers are no longer directly involved in winemaking, but the estate continues to be owned by the Catholic Society of Mary and is operated through the Greenmeadows Mission Trust Board, a charitable trust whose surplus helps fund the work of the Society of Mary across New Zealand and the South Pacific, including seminary education and missionary outreach. The Marist mark remains visible across the estate: the central winery building is the original La Grande Maison seminary (a Category 1 historic place), the Mission Concert was first held in 1993 in a natural amphitheatre on the estate beneath the seminary on Mount St Mary, and the flagship Huchet wine range is named in tribute to Brother Cyprian Huchet (1870-1899). The Trust Board structure means Mission is not driven by short-term shareholder returns; capital is reinvested in vineyards, sustainability, and the heritage estate, and the long ownership horizon has allowed multi-generational projects such as the Gimblett Gravels acquisition in the 1990s, organic conversion at Mere Road, and the 175-year heritage marketing positioning being celebrated through 2026.

• Only nineteenth-century New Zealand wine producer still under its original management; only NZ winery owned by a religious order
• Owned by the Catholic Society of Mary (Société de Marie); operated through the Greenmeadows Mission Trust Board, a charitable trust
• Surplus funds the work of the Society of Mary across New Zealand and the South Pacific, including seminary education and missionary outreach
• Long ownership horizon has allowed multi-generational projects: Gimblett Gravels acquisition in the 1990s, Mere Road organic conversion, and the 175-year heritage celebration through 2026

Mission's portfolio is built as a clear pyramid that reflects both the estate's geographic spread and its production discipline. The Estate tier sits at the base as the everyday range, drawn from across Hawke's Bay and showing the house style of approachable, varietally true wines. The Vineyard Selection range steps up with single-vineyard or site-specific bottlings that show Hawke's Bay sub-region character. The Reserve range gathers the best parcels from each vintage for varietal flagships across Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. The Jewelstone range, Mission's super-premium small-batch tier, is sourced from the best blocks in the best vineyard sites and includes the Jewelstone Antoine Bordeaux blend (typically Cabernet Sauvignon-led with Cabernet Franc and Merlot from the Gimblett Gravels), Jewelstone Chardonnay from the Green Meadows site in Taradale, and the Jewelstone Syrah. At the apex sits the Huchet range, named for Brother Cyprian Huchet and made only in the finest vintages: a Syrah, a Cabernet Sauvignon, and a Chardonnay that represent Mission's most ambitious work. The 2019 Huchet Syrah from the Gimblett Gravels won New Zealand's only Syrah Masters medal at the 2022 Global Syrah Masters in London, a benchmark moment for the brand. A Gaia Project range showcases sustainability-led winemaking with lighter-touch viticulture and lower-intervention cellar work.

• Five-tier portfolio pyramid: Estate (everyday), Vineyard Selection (single-site), Reserve (vintage flagships), Jewelstone (super-premium small-batch), Huchet (apex, exceptional vintages only)
• Jewelstone Antoine: Bordeaux blend from the Gimblett Gravels, typically Cabernet Sauvignon-led with Cabernet Franc and Merlot; Jewelstone Chardonnay sourced from the Green Meadows site in Taradale
• Huchet range (Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay) made only in finest vintages; named in tribute to Brother Cyprian Huchet (Cellar Master 1870-1899)
• 2019 Huchet Syrah from the Gimblett Gravels won New Zealand's only Syrah Masters medal at the 2022 Global Syrah Masters in London

Mission farms across multiple Hawke's Bay sub-zones, with the historic Taradale home estate at Greenmeadows surrounding the original La Grande Maison seminary building. The Greenmeadows site, where the brothers first planted grapes in 1897 and winemaking has been based since 1910, sits on heavier free-draining soils suited to white varieties and is home to the Green Meadows Chardonnay site that supplies the Jewelstone Chardonnay. The Gimblett Gravels, acquired by Mission in the 1990s, is the breakthrough site for the modern era: a 800-hectare river-stone terrace west of Hastings on the old Ngaruroro River bed, defined by deep greywacke gravels that reflect heat and accelerate ripening. Mission's Mere Road vineyard, located in the heart of the Gimblett Gravels, is the source for the top Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot in the Reserve, Jewelstone, and Huchet ranges, and is 100% certified organic. Across the wider estate Mission has been an early-mover on sustainability: a founding member of Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand in 1995, and among the first New Zealand wineries certified to ISO 14001 in 1998. All Mission fruit, including from contract growers, is accredited under the SWNZ system. The Hawke's Bay climate (long, warm summers, cool nights, moderate rainfall) and the variety of substrates from gravels to silty loams to coastal sands suit the full Bordeaux suite plus Syrah, Chardonnay, and Pinot Gris.

• Taradale home estate at Greenmeadows: heavier free-draining soils suited to white varieties; site of the original La Grande Maison and Jewelstone Chardonnay source
• Mere Road vineyard in the Gimblett Gravels (acquired 1990s): 100% certified organic; source of top Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot for Reserve, Jewelstone, and Huchet ranges
• Founding member Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (1995); one of the first NZ wineries certified to ISO 14001 (1998); all fruit including contract growers SWNZ accredited
• Hawke's Bay terroir: long warm summers, cool nights, moderate rainfall; greywacke gravels, silty loams, and coastal sands suit Bordeaux varieties plus Syrah, Chardonnay, and Pinot Gris

The Mission Concert, first held in 1993, has grown from a single paddock event into one of the most enduring outdoor music festivals in New Zealand and one of the longest-running winery concerts in the world. The inaugural 1993 concert was headlined by Dame Kiri Te Kanawa with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in a natural amphitheatre beneath the seminary on Mount St Mary, just outside Napier. The concert has since hosted international acts including Ray Charles, Kenny Rogers, Dionne Warwick, Shirley Bassey, Julio Iglesias, the Beach Boys, Rod Stewart, and Tom Jones, and become a fixture in the Hawke's Bay summer cultural calendar with crowds of around 25,000. The concert is more than entertainment: it supports the Greenmeadows Mission Trust Board's charitable work, including funding for the Society of Mary's New Zealand and South Pacific ministries. The estate itself is a heritage landmark beyond the wine. La Grande Maison, the central winery building, is listed as a Category 1 historic place by Heritage New Zealand and is one of the most architecturally significant nineteenth-century timber buildings in the country. The cellar door, restaurant, gallery, and gardens occupy the original seminary complex, and the estate functions today as both a working winery and a cultural destination. The 175-year anniversary in 2026 (counted from the 1851 planting at Pakowhai) marks Mission as a unique global wine business: a religious-order-owned, continuously operating producer that has weathered floods, earthquakes, and three relocations to remain New Zealand's foundational wine brand.

• Mission Concert first held 1993, headlined by Dame Kiri Te Kanawa with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra; one of the longest-running winery concerts in the world
• Past performers include Ray Charles, Kenny Rogers, Dionne Warwick, Shirley Bassey, Julio Iglesias, the Beach Boys, Rod Stewart, and Tom Jones
• Concert proceeds support the Greenmeadows Mission Trust Board's charitable work, including the Society of Mary's NZ and South Pacific ministries
• La Grande Maison listed as a Category 1 historic place by Heritage New Zealand; 175-year anniversary celebrated in 2026