Not Super-Weird, Just Good Wine
Amoise is a personal, place-focused wine project founded by Amy Farnsworth in Hawke's Bay, Aotearoa New Zealand — a label where biodynamic farming, gentle winemaking, and alternative varieties converge into wines of quality and precision. [^139^] Born from three barrels and a dream in 2018, Amoise started with one tonne of Pinot Gris from the Osawa Vineyard and has grown into one of New Zealand's most exciting natural wine labels. [^133^] Amy makes wine with no additions or adulterations of any kind — no cultured yeasts, no enzymes, no fining agents, no sulphur. [^135^] She works with certified organic grapes sourced from partner vineyards across Hawke's Bay, farming her parcels biodynamically to improve her connection to the land while encouraging biodiversity, life energy, and optimal health in the vineyards. [^143^] The wines are gently made, low intervention, and full of immediate drinking pleasure — with plenty to contemplate in the glass. [^138^] Amy's background is extraordinary: she has worked for Camille Giroud, Vietti, Alain Graillot, Marcel Lapierre, Brokenwood, Black Estate, Felton Road, and Paritua. [^144^] She studied winemaking and viticulture at the CFPPR de Beaune in Burgundy, lived in France for three years, and has done harvests all around the world. [^134^] Today, her biggest market is New York, and she can't make enough wine to supply demand. [^134^]
From Vancouver Wine Bars to Burgundy & Back
Amy Farnsworth is Canadian, with a Kiwi mother who gave her roots in Aotearoa. [^134^] Her wine journey began in Vancouver, where she worked in sales and marketing for a top importer with the highest amount of organic and biodynamic wine across Canada. [^134^] She wrote stories and told the stories of wine — but when the GFC hit, she lost her job and her mojo. She was doing her WSET Diploma and had reached the viticulture and winemaking section. "Why don't I just go and work on a vineyard?" she thought. "If I'm there it might spark something." It did. [^134^]
She moved to New Zealand and spent a year at Felton Road in Central Otago — doing the whole growing season, working in the winery and tasting room. [^134^] She did her thesis on wine closures and finished her WSET Diploma in Auckland. Then she spent several years at Black Estate in North Canterbury — "like my family," she says — where Nicholas made wine in the way she liked. [^134^]
Then came Burgundy. She did a vintage there, fell in love with Beaune, and decided to study winemaking and viticulture at the CFPPR de Beaune — a diploma for those who want to start their own domaine. [^134^] She lived there for three years, going to school with Etiennette Dauvissat and Sylvestre Mosse (son of the famous natural winemakers in Anjou). She learned to prune in 50–60 year old vines in Nuits-Saint-Georges. After finishing, she worked as a tour guide, driving 130km a day up and down the Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits, making appointments at amazing domaines. [^134^]
This is where she discovered natural wine. She had first tried them around 2006 in Vancouver, but in Burgundy she was drinking Beaujolais, Loire wines, and Jura — all a 45-minute drive away. She went to all the natural wine fairs. "After working for several people that made wine without intervention, I came to consider that most of the work is done in the vineyard. Winemaking is purely done at harvest, which is just a small time of the year." [^134^]
Eight years of harvests around the world followed — New Zealand, Italy, Canada, Australia. She worked at Pegasus Bay in Canterbury and eventually landed at Paritua in Hawke's Bay, where she became Assistant Winemaker. [^134^] In 2018, she started Amoise with one tonne of Pinot Gris, three barrels, and a dream. [^133^]
"I don't want people to go 'Oh that's a natural wine'. I want them to say 'That's a good wine'."
— Amy Farnsworth
Farming Biodynamically Across Hawke's Bay
Amoise does not own a vineyard. Instead, Amy sources certified organic grapes from partner growers across Hawke's Bay and farms her parcels biodynamically throughout the year. [^143^] She is deeply involved in the vineyard work — pruning, shoot thinning, and biodynamic applications — maintaining a hands-on connection to the land that defines her wines. [^134^]
Her first fruit came from the Osawa Vineyard, via Amy at Halcyon Days. [^134^] "In Hawke's Bay when you're looking for organic fruit, you take what's given to you! There wasn't much available in 2018." [^134^] Since then, the network has grown. Paritua is now fully certified organic. Alpha Domus is getting there. Oak Estate and Ash Ridge are part of the scene. [^134^]
The Cabernet Franc comes from ten rows at the TK Vineyard — the same ten rows every year — on Gimblett Gravels, "brilliant fruit, just lovely." [^134^] Amy does her own pruning and shoot thinning here, and applies biodynamics throughout the year. The Chenin Blanc and Gamay come from Two Terraces Vineyard, owned by Ian and Linda Quinn. [^134^] Syrah was added in 2021 when the Quinns offered four rows. [^134^] An Albariño project has also begun — "I never would have envisioned it, but I also never set out to make a Sauvignon Blanc and a Pinot Noir and compete with the established people." [^134^]
Amy is the only one doing biodynamic applications in the vineyards she works with. [^134^] She helps make biodynamic preparations for New Zealand under the tutelage of Chris Hull, who worked with Peter Proctor for over 35 years. [^134^] "I'm going above and beyond organic," she says. "I've been doing the right thing in the vineyard for a very long time, and I'm very secure in that." [^134^] While her grapes are certified organic, her winery is not yet BioGro certified — a matter of funds rather than philosophy. "I would like that one day, but as I'm growing my business I have chosen to purchase more premium fruit instead." [^134^]
Ten rows of Cabernet Franc on Gimblett Gravels — the same rows every year. [^134^] Amy does her own pruning and shoot thinning. Biodynamic applications throughout the year. The foundation of the Amoise red program — structured, savoury, and deeply expressive of Hawke's Bay's famous gravel soils.
Owned by Ian and Linda Quinn. Chenin Blanc arrived in 2020, Gamay in 2021, Syrah in 2021 (four rows). [^134^] The Song family — a skilled pruning crew — knows these vines intimately. A 20-hectare property that provides fruit for growers who don't make their own wine.
Where it all began. Amy's first Amoise wine — one tonne of Pinot Gris from the Osawa Vineyard, sourced via Amy at Halcyon Days in 2018. [^134^] The only organic fruit available at the time, but Amy didn't want to make a conventional Pinot Gris. She wanted to make something interesting — so she made an orange wine.
Amy farms her parcels biodynamically — pruning, shoot thinning, and applying biodynamic preparations throughout the year. [^134^] She helps make biodynamic preparations for NZ under Chris Hull. [^134^] The focus is on increasing biodiversity, improving soil health, and encouraging life energy in the vineyards. [^143^]
No Additions, No Adulterations, No Sulphur
Amoise wines are made with no additions or adulterations of any kind. [^135^] No cultured yeasts. No enzymes. No fining agents. No acid adjustments. No sulphur. [^134^] The wines ferment with indigenous yeasts, settle naturally, and are bottled without filtration. This is not a gimmick — it is a philosophy born from Burgundy, the Loire, and Beaujolais, where Amy learned that the vineyard does the work and the winemaker's job is to get out of the way.
"I'm very attentive and pedantic in the cellar," Amy says. "I don't want people to go 'Oh that's a natural wine'. I want them to say 'That's a good wine'." [^134^] This distinction matters. Amoise is not about being weird for the sake of it. It is about making wines that happen to be made without additions — wines that stand on their own as quality expressions of variety and place.
Skin contact is central to the Amoise style. The first wine was an orange Pinot Gris — "I always knew I wanted to do skin contact." [^134^] The wines are fermented and aged in a mix of stainless steel, old oak barrels, and clay amphorae. [^134^] Carbonic maceration is used for the Gamay. Whole bunch fermentation for the Syrah. Each variety gets the treatment that suits it best — but always with the lightest possible touch.
Amy picks earlier than most for freshness and lower alcohol. [^134^] The 2023 vintage — affected by Cyclone Gabrielle — forced many decisions, but the approach remained the same: work with what nature gives you, adapt, and make the best wine possible. "When you have a couple of difficult years, and you're making wine without sulphur, there is nowhere for you to hide." [^134^]
Budburst — Founding New Zealand's Natural Wine Fair
In 2015, Amy Farnsworth, Stephen Wong MW, and Richard Klein formed a committee to create the first natural wine fair in New Zealand. [^134^] They called it Budburst. The goal was to educate consumers and create a scene where natural wine would become acceptable — so restaurants would actually put it on their lists. [^134^] The first Budburst ran in 2016, the second in 2018, with very strict parameters about entering. "People were angry when their wines didn't qualify — I got some 'not very good' calls!" Amy recalls. [^134^] But the fair provided a safe learning environment for consumers to have fun, taste the wines, and attend seminars. This is Amy's legacy beyond the bottle — she didn't just make natural wine in New Zealand. She helped build the infrastructure for others to do the same.
A Nickname, A Signature, A Story in Every Bottle
"Amoise" is Amy's nickname — a French-Canadian slang word that doesn't really mean anything. [^134^] She wrote it in chalk on a barrel while working at Paritua, and her friend Dan Brennan saw it and said, "You should call your wines that." [^134^] The logo is her actual signature — scrawled in her own hand. Each label has a story and a meaning behind it. This is not corporate branding. It is personal identity, poured into every bottle.
Amy sells most of her wine herself — directly to restaurants, who become "mini-ambassadors" for the brand. [^134^] "When you put yourself out there and you have so much of your own self in the brand, it helps that it is me selling the wine and passing on the story." [^134^] Her customers know the stories behind each wine. They know that the Cabernet Franc comes from the same ten rows every year. They know that the Gamay is carbonic. They know that nothing has been added.
The export market is growing — now 50/50 between New Zealand and international. [^134^] Japan has been a focus for several years. New York is her biggest market. [^134^] "I can't make enough wine to supply the markets!" [^134^] She is working toward a 20-tonne production target — manageable for one person, but still tiny by commercial standards. [^134^]
Amy and her partner Greg dream of their own piece of land one day — five to seven hectares, a permaculture situation, not just a monoculture of grapes. [^134^] They like growing their own food. They want a little winery shed. But land in Hawke's Bay is expensive, and for now, the mobile, vineyard-partner model works. "I can do all of this, almost remotely, without owning any land. And I see that as the only way it can be done at the moment." [^134^]
"I think it works because if you believe in what you're doing, it catches on; and people get that vibe and energy."
— Amy Farnsworth
The Amoise Range
Amoise produces a focused portfolio of no-addition natural wines from certified organic vineyards across Hawke's Bay. The range centres on alternative varieties — Gamay Noir, Cabernet Franc, Chenin Blanc, Syrah, Pinot Gris, and Albariño — made with skin contact, carbonic maceration, amphora ageing, and indigenous yeast fermentation. [^134^] All wines are unfined, unfiltered, and bottled without sulphur. [^135^] They are made in tiny quantities — Amy is still working toward her 20-tonne target — and sell out quickly. [^134^] Prices are approximate and in NZD.