In 1852 William Ostler emigrated from Yorkshire to New Zealand to manage Benmore Station near Omarama for Robert Campbell. Campbell, of Castle Duntroon in Scotland, had already emigrated and bought Otekaieke Station in the lower Waitaki.

As a pioneer in the new colony Ostler soon desired his own station and, in time, bought first Ben Ohau behind today's Twizel township, and subsequently Lilibank at the head of Lake Tekapo, from the original squatters who had occupied the vast tracts of land some years before.

In 1998, unaware of this history, Ostler's great grandson Jim Jerram and his brother-in-law, winemaker and viticulturist Jeff Sinnott, went prospecting for suitable grape-growing country in the lower Waitaki's limestone country, inland from Oamaru. At that time there was no history of commercial winegrowing in the region.

The two discovered a site Sinnott believed encapsulated the essential parameters for growing premium cool climate wine grapes; a north-facing limestone-influenced slope on an escarpment overlooking the braided river. It reminded him of the famous slopes of Burgundy.

After a period of climatic data collection and planning, Jim and his wife Anne bought the bare land and decided to plant a small 2 Ha pinot noir vineyard in the spirit of William Ostler's own pioneering venture. The new venture commenced in 2002 and was in effect experimental, with Jeff Sinnott as partner and viticultural advisor and future winemaker.

After a completely successful first planting, a small company was formed between the partnership and other family members and friends. Further plantings of pinot noir and pinot gris took place over two years.

In 2004 a small first harvest of beautifully ripe pinot noir grapes became, with Jeff's winemaking expertise, the first Ostler vintage. Despite the young vine age, it was clear that the vines had already picked up unique flavours from the underlying limestone. The velvety tannins, extraordinary persistence of flavour, and complex nose of this wine had clearly justified the experiment beyond expectation.

Further vintages have confirmed the major difference in style the vineyard produces compared with other regions. In addition the first vintage of pinot gris in 2006 demonstrated the effect of the same benefit of the terroir on this delicate aromatic white variety.

In 2008 a new vineyard site, Lemon Springs is being developed by Paul Sinnott for the production of riesling and other aromatic whites at Lake Waitaki, 24 km further inland. On alluvial gravels this warmer site is seen as ideal for these varieties.

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