Hyper local Vermouth from the team at 144 Islands in collaboration with craft distiller Michael Hanna. Vermouth No. 2 is made using Syrah as the base wine, then gently infused with distillates of locally sourced Kerikeri navel oranges, Totora bark, Pohutukawa, Kauri, Northern Rata, Kahikatea and Matai. 

When we sat down to taste with Jake we realised pretty quickly that we were onto something special. The vineyards are planted 20km inland from the Bay of Islands on gravelly, volcanic soils at an exposed 300 metres above sea level. From this site overlooking some of the Bay’s 144 islands, Jake and his wife Melika have been bold and experimental in planting a myriad of different varieties including Albariño, Semillon, Syrah, Tempranillo and Sangiovese. Farmed organically without irrigation, the resulting wines are both sophisticated and delicious.