About Us
Wild Earth Wines is run by a small and dedicated team: Quintin and Avril, the founders and owners; our viticultural team, led by Pip; Steve, our talented consultant winemaker; Vanja, running the office and Dave, our marketing and sales guy.
Our sole objective is to create the finest pinot noir, riesling and pinot gris our two vineyard sites can produce. We're working with young vines, planted from 1999 - 2001 that are already showing incredibly exciting potential. In the relatively few vintages since the vineyards first began cropping, we have learnt an immense amount - but we know that we are still at the beginning of our journey.
Tending a vineyard in the midst of a stunning alpine landscape is both immensely rewarding and a constant challenge. Central Otago is an unpredictable, on the edge winegrowing region - baking hot in the peak of summer and bone-numbingly cold in the depths of winter. Dealing with brutal early season frosts then picking grapes in the snow is not unusual in these surroundings.
And alongside the real pleasure of harvesting superb grapes at the end of the season is the enjoyment of cooking a meal at dusk over an open fire next to the Kawarau River. We cast a line for fat trout from the bottom of the vineyard and the wild rabbit and thyme aren't hard to find. Wild Earth wines are the perfect match.
Tasting our wines in Central Otago
Hosting our guests in the tractor shed is not ideal, so we offer our wines for tasting at The Big Picture, a superb restaurant and wine experience venue on the main road into Cromwell from Queenstown. Visit Phil Parker and his friendly team for some authentic Central Otago hospitality.
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The Wild Earth Team
Quintin Quider: Director:
Then owner of Wild Earth Wines is Quintin Quider, an expatriate Californian who spent many years living in the South Island of New Zealand. A man who has made his living from the ocean, Quintin was captivated by Central Otago and convinced of the impressive potential for premium winegrowing in the region. His passion for pinot noir germinated during his years living in Bodega Bay, close to the Napa and Sonoma winegrowing districts. He moved his family across the Pacific to New Zealand in the early 1990's, assessing a number of vineyard opportunities before settling on prime Central Otago terroir.
The commercial side of the business is run by Dave, an fifteen year specialist in wine business management and brand marketing. Managing and growing the international operations of New Zealand’s second largest winery for seven years, then working with a California-based global wine brand management business provided a wealth of experience, sales contacts and airpoints. Dave is responsible for marketing, sales and communications, in his role as General Manager for the winery.