In 1989 the unlikely combination of two windsurfing mates restaurateur Chris Gambitsis and police detective Phil Binnie decided that enjoying wine was not enough and what they really wanted to do was grow grapes and make wine. In true kiwi fashion, they jumped in the deep end, and set about establishing the notoriously stony Falcon Vineyard. They named their fledgling operation Lake Chalice Wines, after the wilderness lake in the Richmond range bordering the north of the Wairau Plain, and adopted the stunning New Zealand Falcon (Karearea) as their emblem.

The falcon has become synonymous with Lake Chalice Wines, featuring on all their labels. The falcon is an awesome predator taking prey up to 6 times its own weight, fearlessly protecting its nest and young, capable of pulling 20gs in the turn, and upwards of 320 kph in the dive. Lake Chalice Wines is a key sponsor of the Wingspan Trust www.wingspan.co.nz preserving NZ’s birds of prey, and is active in the Falcons for Grapes project www.falconsforgrapes.org in Marlborough attempting to re introduce Falcons to the Wairau Valley.

Lake Chalice is respected for the consistently high quality of their wines including Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Merlot. Most is still sold in New Zealand with small volumes exported to the UK, Germany, USA, Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore. Grapes are grown on their own three vineyards and complemented with fruit from several long established growers. Winemaking takes place at their joint venture winery South Pacific Cellars, a state of art facility adjacent to bottling and distribution operations.