Anne Escalle was born in the Rhône Valley to wine & food enthusiast parents. From a young age, her best memories have always been linked with fine wine and fine food. Her classic scientific studies helped her to join reason with passion with a Master in Viticulture & Winemaking at the ENITA de Bordeaux. After a quick detour on a banana plantation in Cameroon, she came back to her passion for wine and settled in Languedoc Roussillon for 10 years, as a viticulturist consultant. She learned a lot with hundreds of vineyards & wineries over such a diversity of varieties and terroirs. In 2007, she moved with her young family to New Zealand, where they all fell in love with the kiwi way of life and the beautiful terroir. She is also the very proud mum of 2 boys and enjoys cooking with her husband and a glass of wine.

The Akarua vineyard is a unique site, measuring 52 hectares, 34.5 of which planted with vines. The estate is tucked into the foothills of the mountains rising above Kawarua River and is located in Bannockburn in the Central Otago region. The vineyard occupies three west-facing terraces and enjoys intense sun all year round. This outstanding terroir lends remarkable character to the Pinot Noir in a reflection of the spectacular mountains surrounding the estate. The second most cultivated varietal in New Zealand, Pinot Noir captures and reproduces the intensity of the Bannockburn terroir. Reputed worldwide for its Pinot Noir, Bannockburn now rivals the emblematic regions of Burgundy and Oregon.