Mills Reef Winery & Restaurant

Mills Reef Winery was established in 1989 by the Preston family. Through commitment and dedication to excellence, the Mills Reef brand has established itself as one of New Zealand's premium labels with a particular reputation for outstanding Bordeaux varietal reds and Syrah.

The winery is located on beautifully landscaped grounds just minutes from Tauranga's CBD. The complex boasts full winemaking and bottling facilities, two underground barrel cellars, an aged wine cellar, and spacious wine tasting areas. An award winning 150 seat restaurant completes the picture, providing a wonderful ambience for a-la-carte dining, weddings, functions and conferences.

UNMISTAKABLE Quality

Mills Reef Wines are produced from superior grapes grown in the Hawkes Bay region, they are hand crafted by our winemaking team in Tauranga, New Zealand, employing 100% sustainable practices throughout the winemaking process, from vine to glass. Our wines are produced under three ranges, each with their own winemaking philosophy and stylistic bent... READ MORE on our WINES

Discover Experience Enjoy

Mills Reef's art-deco style restaurant is purpose designed for dining in an ambience which compliments fine wine and cuisine. The restaurant offers relaxed outdoor dining on glorious sunny Bay Of Plenty days. The award-winning cuisine is best described as Antipodean/Pacific-rim style, blending the best of local produce and latest culinary innovations... READ MORE on the Restaurant

A Destination for your occasion

Mills Reef has many facilities to accommodate your special event or function. Whether you require a memorable venue for your special day, a conference venue or function room with a difference, Mills Reef can cater for your every requirement. A more quality venue so close to the city centre would be difficult to find. READ MORE on Weddings | CONFERENCES | FUNCTIONS

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Mills Reef announces launch of its prestige icon wine range

Mills Reef Winery is very excited to announce the inaugural release of its icon wine range, comprising two very special limited edition wines. In family tradition, the icon range is named in honour of ‘Arthur Edmund’, husband to ‘Elspeth’ whose name has long-adorned and signified Mills Reef’s ultra-premium range of wines.  Mills Reef co-founder and Chief Winemaker, Tim Preston, says ”Arthur Edmund, my grandfather, was a pioneer and visionary, that same spirit is likewise echoed in these special wines, hence we felt it was a fitting tribute to name them in his honour, and to accompany the fine wines named in honour of his wife and my grandmother, Elspeth". Of the Arthur Edmund wines, Tim says "they are the culmination of an idea and journey that’s been decades in the planning, and represent the absolute pinnacle of our grape growing and winemaking, our Mount Everest of wine”. The two inaugural prestige wines are a 2013 Cabernet Merlot blend, and a 2013 Syrah, grown in the acclaimed Gimblett Gravels Winegrowing District of Hawkes Bay. Early-on the arid stony soils and warm climate of this District proved to yield extremely fine wines of world-class stature. So much so, that internationally renowned wine critic James Halliday declared in 2008 that "the 800ha Gimblett Gravels is not just a very special parcel, it is a sacred site”. "Capturing the ultimate expression of this very special place in our Arthur Edmund wines was a natural progression”, says Tim.Following planting of the Mills Reef vineyards in the 1990’s, a patient wait ensued until the vines had attained sufficient age to yield grapes possessing the immense intensity and perfect balance sought for the prestige wines of Arthur Edmund. A stringent criteria was adopted, selecting only the oldest vines, in the very best rows on the best soils, pruned to extremely low yields of only 3-4 bunches of grapes per vine. And a final uncontrollable factor, the cooperation of mother-nature to deliver a growing season of climatic perfection. That season arrived to the Gimblett Gravels Winegrowing District in 2013, yielding what has since been widely heralded as ‘the vintage of a lifetime’.After hand-picking of the grapes, the next stages entailed what is best described as ‘minimal-intervention winemaking’ and a fine sensitivity to nurturing wines with unique excitement and a distinct sense of place. Says Tim "the winemaking was purposely very hands-off, with minimal disturbance, allowing the wines to fully express their vineyard site and the growing season, to obtain the purest expression possible”. Fermentation took place in open-top fermenters with gentle hand-plunging, followed by a post-ferment maceration until tannin development and integration were at their optimum. The wine was then aged in 100% new quality oak barrels (100% French for the Cabernet Merlot, 50% French and 50% American for the Syrah) with 20 months of élevage and just one racking throughout. A rigorous barrel selection was then undertaken before composing the final wines, which were again rested in barrel to gravity-settle over an extended period before bottling in an unfiltered state. But their journey in the winery wasn’t yet complete, to be finally held in the underground cellar in climate-controlled conditions for a further 3½ years to commence bottle ageing and attainment of ever-greater complexity. Now, five years on from vintage, the first library tranche of Arthur Edmund wines are ready for release. As to the timing, Tim says "ageing of wines is a series of rhythmic ‘awake and sleep’ cycles, and from our 30 years of experience we’ve noted those cycles tend toward 8 yearly for Gimblett Gravels red wines, hence this first release is timed to coincide with their rise from slumber and ascent toward the first apogee predicted for 2021.” He further adds "the time is therefore right for wine lovers to acquire and experience these wines as they make their first ascent, or to further age in private cellars for future discovery and enjoyment”. Befitting such prestige wines and their rare and collectable nature, only a very limited edition is available, each bottle is wax-dipped and individually numbered, accompanied with a certificate of authenticity, and presented in a boxed collectors set. The philosophy of these prestige wines from vineyard to bottle follows firmly in the great French concept and tradition of ‘terroir’. Hence as each wine label attests, "these wines are the ultimate handcrafted expression of Mills Reef, reflecting great people, heritage, and vineyard site, gently harnessed to reveal in every bottle”. The Arthur Edmund wines will be available from the winery and selected fine wine stores nationwide, while stocks last. RRP $350 per bottle.   Arthur Edmund Cabernet Merlot 2013 Arthur Edmund Syrah 2013 08 Aug '18
MORE Events

Valentine's Day - Dinner for Two

Thursday 14 February 2019 Enjoy a special evening with your special someone.  Surprise your significant other with a beautiful three course dinner and a glass of bubbles on arrival - with a relaxed dining experience on Valentine's Eve! Mills Reef 'Valentine's Day' Dinner for Two Three amazing courses;  * Entrée shared platter for two * Your choice of Mills Reef mains * Finishing with a beautifully crafted dessert for two  Glass of bubbles each on arrival  Come and enjoy the ambiance of the stunning Mills Reef venue.  Pre-bookings essential / limited places. Phone 07 576 8800 or email events@millsreef.co.nz When: Thursday 14th February 2019, 5:30pm to 11:00pm Where: Mills Reef Winery, 143 Moffat Road, Bethlehem, Tauranga Restrictions: R18
Mills Reef Winery & Restaurant

143 Moffat Road, Bethlehem, Tauranga 3110  |  P O Box 2247, Tauranga 3140
Telephone +64-7 576 8800  |  FULL CONTACT DETAILS  |  CONTACT FORM

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