Steve Smith MW has a formidable reputation in the wine industry: renowned for establishing Craggy Range in Hawke’s Bay and Martinborough, he is also one of few qualified Master of Wines to be based in New Zealand. Brian Sheth, from Austin Texas, is an investor and wildlife conservationist, with a strong affiliation and love for New Zealand.
Together, Smith & Sheth make the most of over 35 years of experience with the growers and makers of New Zealand – forging relationships, hand selecting the best fruit from exceptional vineyards only, then nurturing, blending and bottling the wines.
The original French négociants and British merchants worked this way, using their connections to create expert wines. We follow in their footsteps creating wine that expresses the beauty and character of a place and the passion of its people.
Our DNA is expressed through our wine and woven into our visual language. Central to our label designs are the DNA strands that define the different grape clones used in our wines. Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah: the essence of these varietals is illustrated on our bottles and captured within them. Our logo, S&S entwined, is our DNA helix representing the foundations of our story: Smith and Sheth seeking the exceptional.
The names, Steve Smith and Brian Sheth, are the assurance of a wine that will create meaningful memories.
Let us share with you the pleasure, culture and craft of our wine.
Our Place
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Omahu Appellation, Hawke's Bay
Our parcels of fruit from the Omahu appellation are all
located in the famous Gimblett Gravels winegrowing district. The incredibly stony soils of the ancient bed of the Ngaruroro River and this warm location create perfect conditions for ripe, full-bodied and gravelly-textured red grapes, and soft flavoured, stony textured Chardonnay. -
Heretaunga Appellation, Hawke's Bay
The Heretaunga appellation encompasses the plains and river terraces of the Hawke’s Bay region. We source from private growers and our own estates in the Bridge Pa Triangle, Omahu & Mangatahi: all sub-regions of the Heretaunga appellation. These vineyards, all on gravelly soils, have a long history of producing exceptional wines that truly represent the potential of Hawke’s Bay Syrah and Chardonnay.
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Wairau Appellation, Marlborough
The Wairau appellation is where the Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc story started back in the1980s. The original plantings were made in the stony river terrace soils around Renwick township and in the cooler southern valleys. We source from mature, low cropping Sauvignon Blanc vineyards on these gravelly soils, along with vines in the cooler clay soils of the southern valley hillsides.
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Central Otago Appellation
Our early wines were made exclusively from the Gibbston sub-region, home to the first commercial bottling of Central Otago wine in 1987. As we continue to roam the district through 2021 we sourced additional parcels of grapes from exceptional vineyards in Lowburn and Wanaka resulting in delicious, generous, finely textured Pinot Noir that speaks powerfully of its Central Otago origins. Wines like this can simply be made nowhere else, and follows the same regional expression approach we take with the Heretaunga Chardonnay and Wairau Sauvignon Blanc.
Our Collections
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CRU
Shop CRU CollectionSmith & Sheth hand select only the best fruit from exceptional vineyards, then nurture, blend and bottle wines that express the beauty and character of a place, and the passion of its people under the CRU label.
Our CRU wines represent the Smith & Sheth view of the Hawke’s Bay, Marlborough and Central Otago regions. Somewhat like the village wines of Burgundy, our CRU Chardonnay, Albariño, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir are sourced from trusted growers with a long history of exceptional wines that truly represent the region’s potential. -
Grand CRU
Shop Grand Cru CollectionAt the heart of all potentially great wine is the reputation that a parcel of land or vineyard has garnered over time, in the knowledge that as a vine matures its true relationship with the land, people and wine it creates is revealed. That is why grand cru status in France is either linked to a vineyard or collection of people who have had a relationship with a “commune” and “collection of vineyards” for an extended length of time. The measure of a grand cru at the end of the day is always judged by exceptional wine quality.
When determining whether our wines have earned a potentially “grand cru” designation, we consider the confidence we have in the vineyard, how close we have been to it, and ultimately the wine quality and character over time. The wines that have made the “grand cru” designation within our portfolio are the Howell Vineyard Chardonnay, Cantera and Omahu Syrah. They are made only in vintages of high quality and released as a collection two years following vintage.
