Hawks Nest gets its name from the native birds that soar over the hills of the scenic New Zealand coastal area where the vineyard is situated. Hawks Nest is nestled on gently sloping north facing soil in a working orchard block in the midst of picturesque Matakana Valley.  At 37 degrees south latitude, Matakana Valley has a climate and soil not dissimilar to some of the great wine growing regions of the world.  Less than an hour's drive north of Auckland, the Matakana region is blessed with pristine beaches, grass covered hillsides, and small pastoral communities for which New Zealand is renowned.  The small hamlet of Matakana is soon to be the first town in the Southern Hemisphere to be officially designated a "Slow Town" and is fast becoming a popular destination for tourists and locals alike.

Hawks Nest has evolved since the late 1980's into an outstanding fruit orchard specializing in avocados, limes, olives and especially our main fruit- Asian Persimmons.  We are lucky to have a dedicated orchard/vineyard manager-Jeremy Noakes- who is an expert in horticulture and has used his knowledge of growing fruits to now manage our vineyard so successfully.   Dr. Jim Daniell semi-retired from medicine and moved with his wife to New Zealand part time in 1999 to seek a life 'no less sophisticated but far less complicated.'  Be it luck or fate, the Daniells settled on the scenic East Coast of the North Island near Matakana and purchased the orchard property.  The orchard block vineyard was developed with plantings in 2001 of Malbec and Cabernet Franc grapes at the edges of the orchard in fertile clay soil that is similar to that in the best regions of Bordeaux.  In addition to the grapes now grown on the orchard itself, Hawks Nest has been able to purchase mature quality Merlot grapes from the world famous Hawks Bay grape growing area of New Zealand.