Growing grapes in Central Otago for many years is the core that makes Shaky Bridge Wines standout. In 1973, Bill and Gill Grant planted some vines on their 25 acre block on Dunstan Rd just outside the township of Alexandra to 'see what might happen'. Some Muller Thurgau and Chasselas were planted way back then, but Bill and Gill had an inspired moment a few years later when they heard they could get hold of some Pinot Noir and Gewurztraminer vines.

A shipment of whole plant Pinot Noir vines arrived from Akaroa, near Christchurch, in the late 1970s and Bill and Gill went to work setting up one of the first Pinot Noir vineyards in Central Otago. There weren't too many believers in Central Otago wines back then, but the Grant's travels around the world had them convinced they could make something happen. We're definitely happy they ignored the naysayers and blazed a pioneering trail for dozens of grapegrowers through the '80s and '90s.

The eastern side of the 'Home Block is a sandpit where these original plants, on their original rootstock, continue to thrive every year. The sandy soil has stopped any vine damging phyloxxera from getting near the roots and the gnarled trunks are a sight any wine lover should stop in and see. You just don't get to see too many vines like this in Central Otago!

Winemaker David Grant, Bill and Gill's oldest son, learned his craft during the 1990s and has been making wines for Shaky Bridge since the first release in 2003. A single Pinot Noir wine was made in the first vintage of Shaky Bridge by coaxing the intensely flavored fruit through the winemaking process and in to the bottle. This philosophy of crafting wines is the central theme of Dave's approach to winemaking; get the raw material in the vineyard as best as it can be and gently extract the best flavors to deliver wines of finesse, elegance and substance. The Shaky Bridge Artisan Series is a tasteful expression of the philosophy Dave follows. Intervention is minimal.