Mt Difficulty Wines

QUICK WINERY FACTS

• Owners: Foley Family Wines – Bill Foley
• Grape varieties: Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc,
• Size: 40 hectares
• Date first planted: 1992
• Wine labels:
  Mt Difficulty Bannockburn Series: Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Dry Riesling, Pinot Noir Rose, Savignon Blanc, Target Riesling.
  The Mt Difficulty Growers Series: ‘Packspur Vineyard’ Lowburn Valley Pinot Noir 2015, ‘Chinamans Terrace’ Bendigo Pinot Noir 2015, ‘Silver Tussock Tinwald Burn’ Noble Riesling 2016, ‘Packspur Vineyard’ Lowburn Valley Riesling 2016, ‘Station Block’ Pisa Range Gewurztraminer 2015, ‘Lowburn Valley’ Chardonnay 2016.
  The Single Vineyard series: Long Gully Noble Riesling, Long Gully Chenin Blanc, Target Gully Pinot Noir, Long Gully Pinot Noir, Pipeclay Terrace Pinot Noir, Mansons Farm Pinot Noir, Mansons Farm Pinot Gris.
  The Roaring Meg Series: Pinot Noir, Pinot Noir Rosé, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc
• Winemaker/Viticulturist: Matt (aka Le Grand Fromage) Dicey

MT DIFFICULTY WINES

The formation of Mt Difficulty is one of the most interesting stories in Central Otago. With a truly pioneering spirit, Mt Difficulty Wines was born from a ‘gentleman’s handshake’ between the ‘Gang of Four’ in the early 1990s to work together and combine their knowledge, enthusiasm and fruit from 5 newly planted Bannockburn vineyards to create and market wine as a consortium under one label, Mt Difficulty.

Since then Mt Difficulty has grown to become one of the most recognised Central Otago brands globally. Today, the Mt Difficulty Estate is made up of six vineyards; Templars Hill, Pipeclay Terrace, Menzies Terrace, Mansons Farm, Target Gully and Long Gully under the lee of Mt Difficulty.

The namesake mountain at nearly 1,300 metres above sea level provides the unique microclimate of the Bannockburn area sheltering the vineyards from weather giving very little rainfall and low humidity.

Mt Difficulty wines now sell under two labels: Mt Difficulty and Roaring Meg. The Roaring Meg label comprising of fruit that comes from vineyards from around Cromwell that fall outside the strict Bannockburn designated sub-region. These vineyards are still managed by the Mt Difficulty team but do not fit the original Mt Difficulty charter that the grapes must come from Bannockburn.

The Cellar Door and Restaurant at Mt Difficultly is affectionately known as ‘Up Stairs and Down Stairs’ that as well as the Mt Difficulty and Roaring Meg wines has a vista over the Cromwell Basin that is second to nothing!