“So I bought it and got sucked into being a wine man,” Jans said.
Since then, Jans started the vineyard restaurant Valley D’Vine, commissioned a 1000sq m barrel hall and the Red Beech cellar door, designed by architect Dave Launder.
When Cyclone Gabrielle hit on the morning of February 14, 2023, Jans called the vineyard’s restaurant early in the morning to see what was happening.
He was told that a “brown flowing mess” was covering the adjacent highway.
“Then he said there’s a house floating past,” Jans said.
After Gabrielle, staff and volunteers dug out 1m of silt from the vineyard and 27,000 bottles of wine, which were sold.
The winery was reopened on Labour Weekend 2023.
Jans said the winery business had struggled in the years since Gabrielle.
A false rumour that it had gone into liquidation led to a wedding booking being cancelled last week, which was frustrating, he said.
Since the cyclone, Jans has bought former vineyards across the road from Linden Estate and has been experimenting with new crops to plant.
“We’re going to grow things that Chinese people can’t get enough of. One of them is a plant called yacon and we’ve got quite a large trial plot and it’s growing very well,” he said.
Jans had been battling cancer and is in remission after radiation treatment and operations.
Because of this, he said he had decided to step away from daily operations at the vineyard.
“I feel a million dollars again, but I’m just not as sharp as I used to be,” he said.
Jans said the restaurant was one of the country’s best culinary experiences, in his opinion.
“I’m delighted to know that Linden Estate will continue to flourish, welcoming guests to our cellar door and restaurant for years to come.
“It’s waiting for everybody.”
Jack Riddell is a multimedia journalist with Hawke’s Bay Today and has worked in radio and media in the UK, Germany, and New Zealand.