Linden Estate Winery: Bottles and now grapes have risen from the silt of Cyclone Gabrielle

Things are looking up for Linden Estate winery in Esk Valley in 2024. Photo / Paul Taylor

This time last year, Linden Estate Winery staff and volunteers were digging 27,000 bottles of its wine out of the remains of its Esk Valley vineyard.

It managed to sell all of them, still covered in silt, as “survivor wine”. The recognition of the financial and emotional struggle the valley has been through saw them fly out the door and there are now just 200 left.

A year on and things are vastly different. Co-owner Bruce Jans is actually looking forward to the 2024 harvest.

Jans, who has co-owned the business for 14 years alongside his American partners, says he and his staff have put the devastation of Cyclone Gabrielle behind them.

“That’s not to say we will ever forget it, because we won’t. It’s taken a lot of hard work by so many people to get where we are today.

“I’m so proud of my staff and the community in the Esk Valley who banded together to help each other. Also, the total strangers that just turned up to help. It was amazing. One chap turned up in a campervan, parked up at the gate and helped us for days.”

Jans, who has worked with the same American family for years and was in a “strong financial” position, paid his staff for eight months - without any income coming in.

“It’s taken a long time but I have such a fantastic team now and I was more than happy to look after them.”

The winery reopened at Labour Weekend last year and the staff had a surprise in store for their boss.

“The staff insisted I cut a ribbon at the opening. I was grizzling about it. I’m not into all that stuff but they practically forced me,” Jans said.

“What I didn’t know was that they had arranged for my American partner’s daughter to fly over for the opening. They were worried I wouldn’t recognise her,” Jans - who is 84 - said with a laugh.

“Of course I did.”

Linden Estate Winery co-owner Bruce Jans and business manager Olivia Walding-Karaitiana.

The outcome could have been a lot different for Linden Estate, if Jans had taken the advice of an assessor.

“They said it would be best to bulldoze the front vineyard because it was totalled. Our winemaker said if we could even get plants, it would be two to three years before we could harvest - which meant three to four years before we could offer our wines. I wasn’t willing to bet I’d live that long.

“I admit I did ask myself was it time to red-card myself and take the insurance money and run? However, it wasn’t hard to make the decision to stay, having finally got a bunch of staff I was fond of.”

He said it wasn’t easy seeing so many years of his life’s work covered in silt but the winery soon turned into the hub of the valley with chef Greg Miller, who owns Valley d’Vine Restaurant on Linden Estate Winery, leading the way.

The devastation left behind at Linden Estate Winery by Cyclone Gabrielle.

“Greg was amazing. He was handing out Red Cross parcels and organising the hundreds of people who turned up to help. He uncovered some flags three or four days after the cyclone and put them up at the gate. There were still campervans piled up in the driveway,” Jans said.

“We were devastated but not defeated and the flags were a symbol of that. The neighbours used to salute them. There has been a lot of drama, but we are back.”

Linden Estate business manager Olivia Walding-Karaitiana says it was wonderful to be up and running.

“The place looks fantastic. We have a photo wall of the floods. It’s part of our history and helps people that are not local understand what happened,” Walding-Karaitiana said.

“There are still piles of silt and one visitor said when she saw them, she thought ‘it was a bit run down out here’.

“Considering our guests are 60 per cent international and 40 per cent local, the photo wall is important. It shows just what we have achieved.”

Chair of Hawke’s Bay Wine Growers Sally Duncan says they are filled with huge excitement in Hawke’s Bay as vintage 2024 approaches.

“After a challenging 2023, we’re thrilled with the sunshine and the season so far and it looks to be an exceptional year,” Duncan said.

“Our cellar doors have loved welcoming back international visitors and regional wine festivals, like Harvest Hawke’s Bay, the Bridge Pā Wine Festival plus the new Te Awanga Festival, which had great support,” Duncan said.

“Last year, Hawke’s Bay became one of the World’s Great Wine Capitals, a well-deserved accolade for our region - so let’s all say cheers to that and an exciting year ahead. "

Valley d’Vine Restaurant is open for business and Linden Estate Winery Cellar Door is open Wednesday to Sunday 10am to 5pm.

- Linda Hall is a Hastings-based assistant editor for Hawke’s Bay Today, and has 30 years of experience in newsrooms. She writes regularly on arts and entertainment, lifestyle and hospitality, and pens a column.