Valli Wine is doubling down on its commitment to the Waitaki region, opening its first cellar door in Kurow at the weekend.

Valli was founded 25 years ago in the Gibbston Valley, near Queenstown, by Kurow-born man Grant Taylor. He grew up in the house that is now retirement home Whalan Lodge, his wife and Valli director Nicole Schofield said.

The company owns a vineyard on Grants Road, established by River-T founder Murray Turner, where pinot noir, riesling, pinot gris, and chardonnay grapes grow.

“Right now we're grafting a bit more of our vineyard from pinot gris over to chardonnay, because that's our favourite,” Nicole said.

The couple made the decision to buy the former Ostler Wines tasting room, The Vintner’s Drop, last September, and make it Valli Wine Bar. The Ōamaru stone building was originally a post office, and has also been the Kurow Community Centre.

“Grant realised the potential of having a tasting room up here, and this opportunity presented itself. We didn't do anything with it until probably June, when we started getting serious about opening.”

The focus for the business will be to offer tastings of Valli wines, tell the story of the region, and “why it's so spectacular for grape growing”, Nicole said.

The couple have bought a house in the Hakataramea Valley and plan to move there from Queenstown in February.

After spending increasing amounts of time in the region, preparing the building for opening, Nicole has fallen in love, although it was Grant who initially saw the potential in his hometown, she said.

“This region's growing and you have sustainable tourism with the Geopark, which is huge, huge, huge for the region, for the wine growers as well. Business-wise, that's a good move.

“But, for me, I love being up here. I love the valley. I love it in all seasons. I love the light. So mine's more romantic,” she said. 

“At first when he bought this, I was like, ‘yep, do what you want to do’, and he's like, ‘it's a good, good, good idea, let's take this opportunity’.

“It wasn't until July, when I was getting into this project and just spending so much time up here really enjoying it, that I was so thankful to him for the opportunity of renovating an old building, giving it a new life, respecting what's here in the history. And so all that . . . I could probably write a whole essay on what it means to me.”

The bar will be open over the summer seasons, until about May, although exact dates aren’t set yet, and in the near future Nicole also plans to offer “interesting boutique” accommodation at the back of the building, which will also be available to harvest workers and wine writers.

“We are really looking to open up the wine bar for visitors and locals. 

“We want to host everybody and make a place where you can enjoy the region and it's in an educational atmosphere, but it's super fun,” she said.

“So flexibility, because that's, I think, what you need to do in rural areas.”

A big part of what she was hoping to achieve with the wine bar interior, was “bringing outside in”.

The actual bar is made from Ōamaru stone, the stone walls are exposed, and there is an old grapevine hanging from the ceiling where a light fitting might be.

Alongside the fossils already nestled in the building’s limestone, Nicole has managed to get her hands on more to display as talking points for customers.

“So, when you're sitting at a table and you've been biking with somebody for the last four days, and you’ve just got nothing else to say, I'm looking for conversation starters,” she said.

“They're not for sale, it's just kind of for curios, and people are forever asking questions and want to know more. and that kind of wakes up the curiosity in all of us.”

Food options are still under consideration, and there is a temporary menu until things have been refined. They are looking at small plates, of “specialised proteins, pâtés, and that sort of thing”.

She was also playing with the idea of popcorn-wine matches. 

“So like cinnamon, or cinnamon and cocoa, go really great with pinot because of the cinnamic acid and the tannins, and then sea salt, seaweed and herb is great with white wines.

“Brewer's yeast, which is great in vitamin B, so it's healthy, has a really cheesy flavour, so that can work with chardonnay . . . I feel unstoppable in the popcorn department! But apparently it's not sufficient to carry an alcohol licence. But whatever you order will come with delight.”

Going forward Nicole is keen to showcase local food producers, and wants to hear from people in the area who think they might have something different to offer customers.

“So that is a focus of ours, that we do want to be serving original food and drink.”

It was important to Nicole the business is not competing with the existing pubs and cafes. It will not be offering coffee, nor beer on tap.

“We’ll have a beer or two, but that’s not the focus,” she said.

“So, we want to be able to give back to the community that's supporting us as well.

“I wouldn't have been able to do what I wanted to do in here, if it weren't for the amazing local tradespeople . . .  who walk through, and source, and have the patience, and understand that I don't understand numbers - which I found out this year. 

“They've been super patient and helpful, and I have these ideas, and people are willing to make them work, and that means the world to me.”

The tastings offered can be made from the Waitaki Valli wines, or a “flight” of pinots or whites - whatever appeals.

Having a cellar door also gives Valli the opportunity to experiment with more one-off wines, where its history has been more about “sub-regions”, Nicole said.

“So we're expanding in that way. It's giving us more flexibility.”

People are incredibly important to the company - and not only those working within in it, she said.

“We wouldn't be here if it weren't for other people, and so, be it tradespeople or other people in the wine industry, you get community support. We’re always, always thankful.”