The Hermit Ram
North Canterbury, New Zealand
The Hermit Ram is the deeply personal project of winemaker Theo Coles, based in North Canterbury on New Zealand’s South Island. Theo started the project in 2012 after working with a tiny, naturally farmed Pinot Noir vineyard planted on active limestone in the Waipara Gorge. The resulting wine had a wild, savory character and a distinctly saline edge that felt unlike the polished, fruit driven style commonly associated with New Zealand. It became the beginning of The Hermit Ram.
The name comes from an old etching Theo found years earlier of a solitary, weathered ram standing defiantly in a field. It was a fitting symbol for wines made outside the usual conventions. Since then, Theo has sought out distinctive vineyards across New Zealand, working closely with growers and allowing each site and season to determine the direction of the wine.
The farming is organic or similarly thoughtful, fermentations begin naturally, and the wines are handled with as little interference as possible. Theo works with old barrels, amphora, whole bunches, extended skin contact and occasionally flor, but the techniques are never the point. They are simply tools for finding texture, energy and a clearer expression of place.
The wines of The Hermit Ram are unmistakably New Zealand, but not in the familiar sense. They can be salty, floral, earthy and quietly strange, carrying something of the forests, ancient seabeds and restless landscapes from which they come. Above all, they are original, alive and seriously delicious.
