Tram Road Vineyard
1490 Tram Rd, Swannanoa
(1490 Tram Rd, RD 1, Rangiora)
Ph: 03-312 6061, fax: 03-312 6062
Email: tramroadwines@xtra.co.nz
Owners/Marketing/Sales/Viticulturists: Janine & Digby Briggs
Winemaker: Kym Rayner
Wine sales: Cellar door, mail order, retail
Price range: $14-$20
Winery tastings: Weekends 11am-4pm
or by appointment
Winery café: Country-style café/tasting room; serving platters and light meals from early 2005
Digby and Janine Briggs have cultivated grapes at Swannanoa for nine years. At first they supplied Giesen Wine Estates with Riesling and later they grew Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for Pegasus Bay’s Main Divide range.
The first release under the Briggs’ own Tram Road label, from the 2002 vintage, was launched at the local school fair. The Riesling went on to win gold and the Pinot Noir bronze in the 2003 Bragato Wine Awards.
“That gave us the confidence to say, ‘Let’s go for it,’” says Digby. And just to prove it was no fluke, the 2003 Tram Road Riesling won a bronze medal in the 2004 Bragato awards, despite having been bottled only three weeks before.
The Tram Road winery also produces two Chardonnays (oaked and unoaked) and a small quantity of Sauvignon Blanc. The wines are made by Kim Rayner at Torlesse Wines (see Waipara Wine). 
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