Vineyard Health

Winegrowing at FROMM follows a simple philosophy: quality over quantity. From the beginning we have been very conscientious about the health of our vineyards. We do this not for commercial or publicity reasons but for genuine concern for our lands, plants, environment and the health of our team. We also believe that organic wines, by virtue of there being no artificial chemical substances put on or near our vines, will be much purer expressions of their terroir and vintage.

We achieve our results by having closely planted vines and low cropping to create textural, intensely flavoured wines. Our vineyard practices also create a quality result for the environment as we aim for zero irrigation. In 2001 we won an environmental award for water preservation, transforming winery waste into compost to go back on to the land to retain water and feed the soil. The vines are very densely planted, are closer to the ground, and tressled for more open, less powerful canopies.

Fromm Vineyard

Established in 1992 by our European founders, this vineyard plays a special role as it was the first vineyard planted as part of FROMM WINERY. Today this vineyard is the centre of operations as it houses our winery and cellar door.

Initially, Fromm Vineyard was planted with a mixture of red varieties we thought had the potential to grow well in Marlborough. Over time we have refined this initial selection to Malbec, Syrah and Pinot Noir, and have expanded to include Riesling, and Pinot Gris.

The terroir of this vineyard is heavily influenced by the Wairau River that lies to the north. The soil profile shows layers of silt and alluvial gravel that were deposited during many historical flood events across the valley floor.

We have found that this layered soil profile produces distinct characteristics in the wines produced from this site. The wines exhibit a healthy, firm backbone and a distinct tannin structure that has become the Fromm Vineyard signature.

Clayvin Vineyard

Located on the north facing slopes of the Brancott Valley, Clayvin Vineyard takes its unique name from the clay based soil profile that lies beneath the vineyard. The complex clay profile varies across the vineyard, allowing a number of different varieties to be grown, including Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

The clay soil gives our Clayvin Pinot Noirs richness and generosity and an immediately appealing soft texture. Clayvin Chardonnay shows a beautiful terroir-related minerality.

High density planting allows for very low yields per vine. Low yielding vines tend to produce wines of great concentration and richness.

This vineyard consistently produces grapes of outstanding quality.

Churton Vineyard

This site is located in the Waihopai Valley on top of a ridge at an altitude of slightly over 200 meters above sea level. The fruit for our Churton Vineyard Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc comes from an east facing, clay based block called “Shoulder”. A cooler site that benefits from the direct morning sun, which means an earlier start to the ripening process every day but without the intense heat in the afternoons. This creates vibrant and expressive wines that have great structure, intensity but above all elegance.