4. World’s only coral atoll vineyard
The idea to create a winery in French Polynesia started with a wealthy wine enthusiast and French businessman named Dominique Auroy. Since the islands of Tahiti were importing over four million bottles of wine per year, he thought… why not try to produce his own? However, it took several years of extensive research before his idea could come to life.
The first vines were imported from France and Italy in 1992. To determine the ideal location for the vineyard, the grapes were planted throughout each of French Polynesia’s five archipelagos and put through a series of acclimation tests. In the end, the Tuamotu Atolls proved to be the best location; and in 1997, they planted over seven acres of vines on one of the small coral islets in Rangiroa.
The vineyard’s first harvests were in 1999 and 2000. By 2003, the winery was producing 800 bottles per year. Today, the vineyard covers more than eight acres of land and produces over 40,000 bottles per year. Although Dominique’s original vision was to create and distribute the wine locally, Vin de Tahiti is now mostly exported.
The Dominique Auroy Winery is located in the village of Avatoru on Rangiroa. The actual vineyard, known as Domaine Ampélidacées, is situated on a small, separate islet accessible by boat. It’s the only winery in the world where the grapes must be transported by canoe during harvest!
https://blog.tahiti.com/2012/07/20/vin-de-tahiti-french-polynesias-only-wine-label/