PEGASUS BAY

This well-respected family winery was founded by neurologist Ivan Donaldson, with the first vines planted in the Waipara Valley in 1986. Ivan and Christine Donaldson, along with their three sons, are involved in all aspects of the winery’s operation, from vineyard management to winemaking to marketing and the running of their award-winning restaurant.

The family are firm believers in natural low-impact methods of cultivation. Ivan oversees the vineyard, which is sustainably managed on a low-cropping regime to provide the best possible fruit to the winemaking team led by Ivan's eldest son, Matthew. Matthew has adopted a minimal intervention approach throughout the entire winemaking operation.

The Pegasus Bay range is produced exclusively from estate-grown fruit, while the second-tier Main Divide wines are made from a combination of fruit off the estate and from other Waipara growers. Pegasus Bay also produce a range of super premium reserve wines, made in small quantities and only in the best years.

The Donaldson family have been seriously involved in wine since the early 1970’s and were pioneers of local grape growing and wine making. Associate Professor and Consultant Neurologist, Ivan Donaldson is a wine writer and wine judge and has recently been awarded an Order of Merit for his contribution to Neurology. He also oversees viticulture and wine styles while his wife Christine directs most of her energy on maintaining the winery’s extensive grounds. She is also a lover of opera and the arts and has been heavily involved in the local Opera scene for many years. Christine has organised a number of concerts at the winery’s natural amphitheatre and a reserve range of wines have been dedicated to Christine’s passion for opera. Their eldest son, Matthew is winemaker and graduated with an oenology degree and a postgraduate diploma in viticulture at Roseworthy College in Australia. He has worked many vintages in other parts of the world, with a particular focus on Burgundy. 2012 marked Matthew’s 20th vintage at Pegasus Bay.