Our journey

Hopes Grove began with a leap of faith. In 2002, while visiting family in Hawkes Bay, we stumbled upon a hidden gem nestled in north-facing limestone hills just outside Pakipaki and it captured our hearts. We decided to pack up our young family and venture to the other side of the world to grow vines in this special place.

For the past couple of decades, we've immersed ourselves in understanding the intricacies of the land, soil, and the art of nurturing thriving vineyards. Embracing organic farming principles, we've abstained from systemic pesticides or herbicides because great wine starts from the soil.

Our daughter Annabelle found her way into the wine world serendipitously, working various vintages worldwide after graduation, driven mainly by her love of travel. To her surprise, she fell in love with wine - after summers spent in the vineyard as a teenager, she didn't expect that growing grapes or making wine would be for her.

This unexpected twist led her back to Hawkes Bay alongside her Belgian partner, Bart, who shares the deep love for all things wine - making our little venture an inter-generational affair. Annabelle & Bart had been making natural / low-intervention wine over in Europe, and are planning to add something a little less traditional to our portfolio.

We're excited to see where the road will take us next - thanks for being a part of our journey.