Andy Nimmo – Winemaker & Alumni Student
Andy Nimmo is making his mark on the Gisborne and New Zealand wine scene with Hihi Wines and the Mighty.
Sole owner of a six hectare block, he is fast becoming known for his quirky wine labels including “Sweet As” (a blend of Chardonnay & Gewurztraminer), “The Full Monty” unoaked Chardonnay and the red blend “Lock Stock & Many Barrels” (made from Merlot, Pinotage, Cabernet Franc & Malbec).
It might be small, it might be relatively new in the wine scene for Gisborne but Hihi vineyard is situated on Bond Road in Ormond, an area which holds a fantastic record for single vineyard wines including Vinoptima’s Gewurztraminer and Montana’s “O” .
The small boutique winery launched its first wines in April 2005 and production on site took place a year after, processing seven tonne in that first vintage. Andy has gone on to increase that volume to forty seven tonnes in 2009 with the assistance of Colin Birkhead, who concentrates on the white varieties.
Colin is also a fellow student from the EIT Tairﾄ『hiti’s Viticulture and Winemaking programme that Andy himself did in 2002/03. He saw the course offered intense all round theory and practical aspects of the wine industry and he liked the vibrancy of the Gisborne industry and the under-rated potential it had.
“The tutors have been extremely supportive of new labels in the region and offer their facility to newcomers very willingly’, comments Andy. ‘They provide Hihi Wines with laboratory testing and generally continue to hold our hands in the start up phase of our own winemaking.’ Andy’s parental heritage brought him out to New Zealand having a kiwi father and many New Zealand relatives. With a degree in economics and career in the electricity industry which was on shaky ground after the collapse of Enron in 2001, Andy looked toward the wine industry and the booming opportunities it had. His passion for the wine industry has been simply phrased, ‘I enjoy drinking good wine’ . Since then Hihi Wines have twenty six award winning wines under their belt with more to come with the latest vintage.