The History of Giesen Wines

1981     

We plant our first vines (Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewurztraminer) on bare land at Burnham, Canterbury - at the time the southern most vineyard in the world

1984 

We have our first vintage, which even back then included Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

1988

Giesen Wines begin exporting - our first order of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc was to Margaret Harvey in the UK.

1993

We purchase our first Marlborough property - the original Dillons Point vineyard.

1994

Giesen Wines enters the Australian market and we appoint Negociants (Samuel Smith) as our exclusive distributors.

1997

Giesen Wines has its first sales in the US market.

1999

We purchase four separate vineyard blocks in Marlborough and build a new winery on Vernon Street in Blenheim.

In the same year, our sales in Australia reach 3000 cases per annum.

2000

We appoint Dreyfus Ashby & Co as exclusive distributors for the Giesen brand in the USA. Our total case sales now reach 23,000.

2001

We purchase more land in Marlborough, developing a 300 acre vineyard at Dillons Point, Blenheim. Our sales now double to over 50,000 cases.

2004

Our sales exceed 100,000 cases for the first time.

2005

Giesen Wines continue to grow in popularity, particularly in Australian market.

2006

We move to larger premises and invest in a bottling and packaging facility in Christchurch. We also expand and upgrade our winery and tank capacity at Blenheim.