Esses Wine Company

Esses wine specialises in growing single estate, late disgorgement sparkling wine. 

We do everything under full French method. Current releases are all single vintages, that reflect the essence of that season. Each of our wines tells its own story, has a distinct style and for this reason each have been individually named.

The ethos of our company is about making high-quality grower sparkling that is reflective of its natural environment, with minimal impact as possible. We are sustainably certified and focus on ensuring that the soil, vines and fruit are naturally healthy and in balance.

All the grapes used in our wine are from a single estate. We do the nearly all the work by hand, which results in truly knowing the vines and growing high-quality product.

We are passionate about on creating perfect sparkling that epitomises the season. This differentiates Esses from large scale produced sparkling and champagne houses that focus on blending and reproducing the same wine each year. Esses balances of the art of growing the grapes to create the flavours and aromas, matched with science, to ensure that the seasonal attributes shine through in the final product.

Esses specialises in late disgorgement, giving time for the wines to develop characteristics from the lees. Their vintage sparklings have a minimum of 36 months on lees, the same as champagne.

Esses estate is framed by the spectacular seaward ranges with panoramic landscapes expanding out over stunning sea views.   This provides Esses vineyard with a dual microclimate of continental and oceanic influences. The sea breezes provide cool temperatures that are beneficial to the development of aromas and quality. The influence of the sea also provides steady rainfall through the growing season, minimising need for irrigation and allowing vines to grow naturally. The stoney soil is free draining, ensuring the roots receive the water that they need but without oversaturating them.

Kaikoura is blessed with spectacular skies that not only provide amazing aesthetic value but provide richness within the grapes from sunshine they bring. The cooler growing climate of Kaikoura makes it perfect for sparkling as naturally creates higher level of acidity required balanced against optimum sugar levels without the need to pick early.

Esses literally means multiple of “s”, pronounced ess. When we owners, Mel and Aaron Skinner, looked at describing the terroir of what makes their vineyard unique such as the snow-capped mountains, sea views, spectacular skies stoney ground and simple serenity, there commonality in connecting them is the letter ‘S’.

Esses is the essence of Kaikoura.