The focus is on crafting distinctive wines that accentuate a particular takiwa (place, district, region, time, season, space), that adds individual complexity to the varietal character and allows true expression of a great site.

Dancing Water is driven by the vision of Ross Trowsdale and Clare Bisso. Ross studied Viticulture and Oenology at Lincoln University, New Zealand, after which he travelled and worked vintages in both the New and Old World for a number of top quality wine producers; New Zealand, (Pegasus Bay and Felton Road), Australia (Wyndham Estate), the USA (Cristom Vineyards) and Austria (Weingut Stefanshof and Alois Kracher). These experiences have nurtured a love and respect for fine wine and the making of it. Partner, Clare Bisso, is the sales and marketing director for Dancing Water.

Together, Ross and Clare share a passion and love for fine wine and are dedicated to the singular pursuit of producing high quality, limited production fine New Zealand wine. The name and story behind Dancing Water are both memorable and key to the brand.

When selecting the name for the wines it was important to see that it had a deep connection to both New Zealand and to the estate's own philosophy of wine making. In researching geographical place names in New Zealand, Ross and Clare discovered Dancing Water, a little known and untouched part of New Zealand’s South Island where a mountain stream flows through magnificent terrain and native bush.

Ross and Clare liked the idea of naming the wine after a place that represents New Zealand at its purest as well as the spiritual sense of place the name evoked. They further found that in myth and legend Dancing Water is the name given to a magical substance once sought by alchemists, an elixir of life believed to rejuvenate, enrich and maintain life indefinitely. Dancing Water perfectly reflects their passion and philosophy of wine and wine making, seeking the timeless, moving and mystical qualities that signify great quality wine.