ESCARPMENT

Escarpment, defined as a long, steep slope that lies at the end of a plateau, is our unique place within Martinborough. Big open skies stretch across the Wairarapa, ‘glistening waters’ in te reo Maori, and the ancient alluvial soils run deep beneath the land. There is natural balance here.

At Escarpment Winery, our purpose is to translate that balance into wines that reflect these special attributes, this special part of Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Over the last 35 years, we have created an expression of Martinborough Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris. Sculpted by Winemaker Tim Bourne and Viticulturist Rowan Hoskins from fruit entirely originating from Martinborough vineyards on the fabled alluvial gravels. We are focused on creating wines with an identifiable structure, complexity and fruit expression that reflect their distinctive sites and their regional Martinborough accent.

Our quality focused winery is based on Te Muna Road, Martinborough. 'Te Muna' in Maori, means 'secret' or 'special place' and to us at Escarpment that is exactly how we feel about the land and what it means to live, grow and make wine there.

TIM BOURNE

Initially graduating with a BSc, majoring in Geography, Tim spent a few years working and travelling and not knowing what he wanted to do. After returning from an OE in the UK, he fell on his feet with his first vintage in Marlborough, and caught the wine bug. He then went back to study a post-graduate diploma in Oenology through EIT in the Hawke’s Bay.

Short stints in Central Otago and Waipara, along with a vintage in The Great Southern Region in Western Australia, lead Tim to the Barossa Valley. After working in the Barossa for nearly 7 years, Tim once again returning to Marlborough eventually taking up the opportunity to work with Larry and the fantastic Escarpment wines.

Tim has worked as an Associate Judge in a number of Australian and New Zealand wineshows and was the dux of the AWRI Advanced Wine Assessment Course in 2015.

Outside of work, he and his wife Lacey have 3 fantastic children Eamon, Campbell and Xanthe. With spare time dedicated to them, along with exploring the wonderful world of wine (and gin!!)