About the Winery
Family owned Coal Pit from Gibbston in Central Otago, is committed to producing world class wines from their sustainably accredited vineyard and on-site winery, where only small volumes are produced annually. The property achieved full organic certification under BioGro in 2023.
Glacially formed schist based soils on warm north facing slopes consistently yield well integrated wines of great structure and elegance. Plantings of both Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc date back to 1994, with many still on own roots.
The Coal Pit name is derived from the historical area in the nearby mountain ranges which provided the early pioneers, musterers and gold miners with coal while the flagship Pinot Noir ‘Tiwha’ pays tribute to the owner’s late father.
Meet the Team
Rosie Dunphy (Owner) & Anika Willner (Winemaker)
Rosie gained her interest in viticulture while completing study in Advanced Urban Horticulture at Sydney’s Ryde School of Horticulture. Five years later, having moved to Ireland with her family and still keen to further her viticultural studies, Rosie commuted to the UK for a year to study Viticulture at Plumpton College, near Lewes, East Sussex. Rosie purchased the Coal Pit property in 2001 with a vision to produce world class wines. Constant vineyard upgrades and the construction of the onsite winery in 2007 have been instrumental to achieving her goal of award winning wines. Winemaker Anika is a Lincoln and Ohio State University graduate, and joined Coal Pit for the 2018 vintage with experience working in Oregon, Australia, Germany, South Africa, Burgundy and New Zealand. Anika’s passion for Pinot Noir led her to Central Otago where she has successfully lead the conversion of the Coal Pit property to organics.
