Kumeu River

Kumeu River is a family-owned estate northwest of Auckland and one of New Zealand’s benchmark Chardonnay producers. Founded in 1944 by Croatian immigrants Maté and Melba Brajkovich, the winery grew from a small West Auckland vineyard into a globally recognised fine-wine estate, now run by the second and third generations of the Brajkovich family. Head winemaker Michael Brajkovich became New Zealand’s first Master of Wine in 1989, and his Burgundy-influenced approach—wild-yeast fermentation, extended lees ageing and…