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New Zealand · People, vineyards & the wine they make
Pegasus Bay — The Donaldson Family’s Waipara Story
A book about wine opened a new direction for a Canterbury doctor and his family. Follow Pegasus Bay into Waipara, where Riesling and a white blend offer two very different cellar conversations.
A book, a garage and a growing ambition.
Christine gave Ivan Donaldson Hugh Johnson’s book Wine, helping spark an interest that grew beside his work as a neurologist. The family’s account recalls weekend winemaking in the garage between hospital and private-practice commitments. The hobby became a much larger undertaking.
The producer’s dated wine notes place Ivan’s earlier Canterbury planting in 1976 and the establishment of Pegasus Bay with Christine in 1986. Their sons became part of the enterprise, making this a family story carried into another generation.
Wine, gardens, food and opera.
Pegasus Bay’s family account connects Christine with its gardens and a love of opera, reflected in the names of reserve wines. It identifies Edward with marketing, Belinda with hospitality, Michael with local sales and Paul as general manager. Together these roles widen the story beyond a single person at a fermentation tank.
The photograph above is the family image used by the producer. Its archival date gives it a place in the story without implying that it depicts every current staff member or role.
Waipara within North Canterbury.
The home vineyard lies in the Waipara Valley of North Canterbury →, on the South Island’s east coast. The 2026 Riesling note describes north-facing terraces sheltered by the Teviotdale Range. Its Glasnevin Gravels include greywacke stones, silt and loam.
Those details give a starting point for understanding the vineyard. Keep them beside the growing season and cellar account rather than treating a soil name as a guaranteed flavour. Our regional guide places Waipara within the wider North Canterbury landscape.
Two wines, different questions.
| Follow this clue | What it tells us |
|---|---|
| Riesling 2026 | The producer describes extended hang time, a portion of noble botrytis where possible, and slow, cool fermentation of free-run juice. Careful handling retains a little natural carbon dioxide, giving a slight spritz. Its tasting account mentions gentle sweetness; no residual-sugar figure is supplied here. |
| Sauvignon Semillon 2020 | The published blend is approximately 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Sémillon. The grapes fermented separately: most Sauvignon Blanc in stainless steel and all Sémillon in oak puncheons. |
| A further 2020 cellar detail | Approximately half the Sauvignon Blanc was whole-bunch fermented, then matured on skins for 200 days. Both varieties spent about ten months on yeast lees before blending. |
These are dated producer accounts. The Sauvignon skin-contact figure refers to its component, not half the finished blend. The Riesling’s slight retained spritz is a different matter from a traditional-method sparkling wine.
Follow Riesling Wines → for sweetness and acidity, or Blending Wine → for the distinction between combining varieties and combining separately fermented components.
A small Cork Dork discovery.
Let the maker’s account join your tasting.
Read the two vintage notes with two columns: vineyard and cellar. Mark which details concern a grape, a vessel, skin contact, lees or sweetness. Then compare with Ata Rangi’s white blend: which questions recur, even when the grapes and growing places change?
A closer look at Waipara Valley.
Explore Waipara Valley’s own origin and maps within North Canterbury. Follow Riesling, Pinot Noir and the Donaldson family’s Pegasus Bay story, keeping regional names distinct from grape and producer names.
Where shall we wander next?
Behind this introduction.
Editorial sources checked 26 October 2026. Historical events and individual wines are dated where relevant. Producer descriptions explain their own practice; they are not universal rules or independent rankings.