Why it matters
The producer
Pinot Noir fermentations are hand plunged at Misha’s Vineyard, where the team tends vines and harvests fruit by hand. The cellar approach is minimally interventionist, supported by exacting viticulture. The founders came to wine after regional marketing and sales roles in Singapore and chose New Zealand production in late 2001.
Misha’s Vineyard aims to create cool climate wines suited to subtle and exotic foods and expressive of origin. In the established vineyard, Pinot Noir occupied two thirds of the planting, with Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc alongside it. In June 2026, the producer announced the sale of its 57 hectare Bendigo vineyard, historically established by Misha’s Vineyard. The purchaser and completion date remain unclear.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Misha’s Vineyard stands on the edge of Lake Dunstan in Central Otago. The established plantings sit on terraces facing north west, from 210 to 350 metres above sea level, with three gently sloping levels and one steep face known as the ski slope.
Different soils, elevations, mesoclimates, row orientations and clones contribute to complexity in the wines. The vineyard’s physical variety sits beneath both the Pinot Noir plantings and the aromatic white grapes.
Wines to know
The range in view
The named range includes two red Pinot Noir wines, Misha’s Vineyard Misha’s High Note Pinot Noir 2021 and Misha’s Vineyard Mishas Cantata Pinot noir 2020. The white wines are Misha’s Vineyard Mishas The Gallery Gewürztraminer 2021 and Misha’s Dress Circle Pinot Gris 2020.
Cantata 2020 is youthful, firm, dry, salivating and taut, with acidity and tannins providing its foundation. Its suggested drinking window runs from 2023 through 2029 or beyond.