Straight 8 Estate is nestled at the top of the Canterbury Plains in the Selwyn district which is renowned for its fat lambs and crops.
With the first planting of grapes in the area of Burnham 30 years ago, creating a lot of interest and no doubt raising a few eyebrows, it was something new. With some 20 plus hectares being planted followed by 8 hectares which became Straight 8 Estate plus other smaller blocks, as the demand was high in the area.
Straight 8 was planted over a five to eight year period first by Wally Codyre, then by the Gall family. Upon our purchase in 2004 we set about to create a brand, as all the other harvests had been sold as contract grapes.
Our brand ‘Straight 8 Estate’ comes from a 1935 Light Sports Railton which has been in the family for 50 years, this is a classic vintage racing car that even has its own garage inside the cellar door dating back to its era and yes it is still used, not just a showpiece.
We are located on State Highway 1 in the Selwyn region, just 6kms south of Rolleston, when driving look for the big WINERY TASTINGS TODAY sign with a great picture of the Straight 8 cruising thru the vines with the late Eoin Young & James Shand the owner.
Our cellar door is open 7 days a week, where practical and licence allows us, from 9am till 6.30pm, we like to keep it casual and relaxed, usually Bella the vineyard dog won’t be far away to greet you, give you the welcoming sniff and check you out for food.
For our winery tasting experience & story we have a couple of flexible options for you to choose from depending on what you are wanting and timeframe.
There are no bookings required for small walk in groups but feel free to give us a ring anyway, but we do ask for any larger groups over 10 people to email or ring us to book in.
The cellar door also stocks some local Cheeses “Whitehorse Cheese” from Waimate, and a local Christchurch craft beer from Wigram Brewery, all available to purchase. We do not offer tastings for the Cheeses or Beers.
At Straight 8 we bottle what we grow, living up to our philosophy, real wines at a real price, with prices ranging from $15 thru to $40, and there is always a cellar door special (don’t be scared to haggle especially if James is on duty you never know what the deal might be).
If you are looking for wine for a special occasion, we do a lot of personalized labels for WEDDINGS, BIRTHDAYS, ANNIVERSARIES, or even CORPORATE GIFTS it’s a great way to say thank you, or something special for people to remember. We also have enough space for small functions and parties, that are able to fit in with our working environment.
”VINTAGE WINES FOR CLASSIC PEOPLE”
Look forward to seeing you at the cellar door or even buy our wine online.
Cheers,
James Shand & Mary Jamieson
