Winery Story

The winery takes its name from an early Canterbury resident, surveyor and farmer, Englishman Charles Torlesse. He gave his name to the Torle... (more...)sse mountain range, which partly encircles the Canterbury Plains and was, at one time, the largest land owner and farmer in North Canterbury and founder of the nearby town of Rangiora. Interestingly, the name Torlesse is given to the underlying bedrock from which most New Zealand soils are derived. The long, narrow Waipara valley provides an ideal climate which consistently yields a harvest of mature fruit in excellent condition. It shelters in the lee of the Teviotdale hills, a trap for sun and open to the warming northwest winds that flow down from New Zealands southern Alps during the summer growing season.