The VinPro Winery was established in Cromwell in 2004, and produced its first vintages in 2005 under the leadership of winemaker Carol Bunn. It has a total processing capacity of 800 tonnes and around 85% of that is for Pinot Noir.
There are many small family-owned vineyards in the area, and utilising the local community’s contract wine-making facility such as Vinpro makes sense for many of them, particularly in terms of sustainability. Vinpro has a great reputation, with many trophy-winning wines stemming from the company.
The VinPro winery staff work as a team, providing a ‘Continuity of Excellence’ which ensures knowledge about the unique terroir for each vineyard, their grapes and the winemaking history is shared. There’s a constant flow of exchange between our viticultural team at Wooing Tree, and the winemaking team at VinPro. Consequently, there is a continued and consistent quality between vintages as much as possible given the complexities and nature of making great wine.
Peter Bartle was Wooing Tree’s head winemaker from 17 May 2010 – 2019. Following on from Pete’s success our head winemaker from 2019 till present is Pip Battley.
Pip Battley is an intuitive, dynamic, and innovative winemaker, rapidly gaining recognition for her consistent success in producing award-winning wines. Born and raised on a farm in North Auckland, Pip’s passion for Pinot Noir and love of travel has taken her from the vineyards of Martinborough and Central Otago to Oregon, Burgundy, Chablis, Nelson, and South Australia. With 20 years of global winemaking experience, she returned to New Zealand in 2017, joining the VinPro team and now the Head Winemaker.
Pip believes in letting the wine speak for itself, offering just enough guidance to enhance its natural qualities while capturing the unique essence of each vineyard. With a gentle, minimal-interference approach, she allows the character of the wine to emerge naturally, while also relying on scientific insight and judgment when necessary to craft the best possible wines.
