Rossendale Wines is a family owned wine company based in Canterbury, New Zealand, run by Brent and Shirley Rawstron from their family estate at 100 Old Tai Tapu Road in Kennedy's Bush, Christchurch. The one property brings together the home block vineyard, the farm, the office and the cellar door, with livestock on the land and beautiful gardens surrounding the buildings. Both Brent and Shirley graduated from Lincoln University with Post Graduate Diplomas in Horticultural Science in 1993, and Shirley's love of wine eventually moved her from a career in medical general practice to working full time in the winery alongside Brent.
The vineyard dates to 1987, when three hectares of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir were planted on the banks of the Halswell River. The Chardonnay was later replaced with Pinot Noir, and further plantings on north-facing slopes have grown the vineyard to seven hectares, now including Gewürztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc. Winemaking is based in Blenheim today, and the family's 'Brothers' Vineyard in Marlborough, purchased in 2004, supplies the Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris.
Visitors can taste before they buy at the cellar door, which welcomes small groups of up to six guests Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm; larger groups can arrange a visit by getting in touch with the team. Alongside the Rossendale label, the company produces the export brands Cottesbrook and Governors Bay, and works alongside Empson Canada on the Seven Terraces brand.
Both the Canterbury and Marlborough sites are certified under Sustainable Winegrowing NZ, with the office site audited annually. The estate is also home to a Weddings and Events Centre and, seasonally, the Christchurch Sunflower Field, and the vineyard doubles as an event course for the Wine Run and Selwyn Marathon run by CJM'S Events.
On the family estate at 100 Old Tai Tapu Road in Kennedy's Bush, just beyond Christchurch's suburban edge, Rossendale Wines brings together a vineyard, a working farm, an office, a Weddings and Events Centre and a cellar door on one piece of Canterbury countryside. It is home to Brent and Shirley Rawstron, a husband-and-wife team who both graduated from Lincoln University with Post Graduate Diplomas in Horticultural Science in 1993 and went on to build a family owned wine company serving the New Zealand market and export shelves alike. Shirley's path here is a distinctive one: her love of wine, the planting of the home block vineyard and further study moved her away from a career in medical general practice to working full time in the winery alongside Brent.
The Rossendale story starts in 1987, when Brent and Shirley planted three hectares of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir on the banks of the Halswell River. The Chardonnay was later replaced with Pinot Noir, and further plantings on north-facing slopes have grown the vineyard to seven hectares, now including areas of Gewürztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc. A winery was constructed on the property in 1992, and Lincoln graduate Grant Whelan made the wines from 1993 to 2002.
Growth eventually took winemaking to Blenheim in Marlborough, where the wines are produced today. In 2004 the Rawstron family purchased the 'Brothers' Vineyard in Marlborough, which now supplies the fantastic Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris. The result is a dual-home operation: estate fruit from the banks of the Halswell River, Marlborough fruit from the family's own vineyard, and winemaking in the heart of New Zealand wine country.
Rossendale's own-label wines are made with an emphasis on their varietal fruit characteristics, produced and created in the vineyard. The current line-up spans a sparkling sauvignon blanc, a rosé, and still whites in Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer and Chardonnay, alongside a Pinot Noir — the grape that took over the original home-block plantings. Beyond the Rossendale label, the company produces the export brands Cottesbrook and Governors Bay for the international market, and works passionately alongside Empson Canada on the Seven Terraces brand.
At the cellar door, which sits beside the office just past the Events building, you can taste through the range before you buy. Tastings run Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm and welcome small groups of up to six guests; for groups of more than six, the team arranges a visit if you get in touch ahead of time.
The estate is as much farm as vineyard, with livestock on the land and beautiful gardens surrounding the office and home block, and it doubles as a venue. The Weddings and Events Centre hosts celebrations on site, and the vineyard itself becomes an event course when CJM'S Events brings the Wine Run and the Selwyn Marathon through the property — Rossendale is a proud sponsor of both. Keep an eye out for another seasonal attraction too: the Christchurch Sunflower Field, whose 2027 field information is shared through its Facebook page.
Sustainability is built into how the business runs. Both the Canterbury and Marlborough sites are certified under the Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ) program, and the office site is audited annually. Inputs and outputs are reviewed from vineyard supply through the Marlborough winery to the bottle, with a focus on chemicals, energy, water and packaging, and on reusing and recycling materials and waste wherever possible. The team also strives to protect and promote the wildlife around its Christchurch vineyard, with vast plantings in surrounding areas to help regenerate and conserve the land for future generations.
Whether you call in on a weekday to taste before you buy, order a mixed six online, or lace up for a run through the vineyard, Rossendale offers a genuinely family-led taste of Canterbury wine country — the kind of place where the owners are busy, but always have time to chat, engage and enjoy people's company.