Wine Marlborough Ltd

2025 Young Viticulturist entries are open! As we head into the 20th year of the Young Viticulturist Competition, this is certainly an exciting year to enter. Entries close 31 March 2025 and the Marlborough competition will be held Thursday 29 May 2025. Entry forms, dates and more information can be found here: https://lnkd.in/gCE28iZV #nzyoungvit #marlboroughnz #nzwine

WHILE MANY colleagues returned home when international borders reopened after the first wave of Covid, Alessandro Carraro remained in Marlborough, sensing an opportunity amid the uncertainty. Having completed a bachelor degree in viticulture and oenology at the University of Udine in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia wine region in north-eastern Italy, Alessandro arrived in New Zealand early in 2020 for a vintage job at Cloudy Bay. While he had done vintages in Italy and Australia, the 2020 vintage in Marlborough, which occurred during the nationwide lockdown, was one for the history books. Read more in the March edition of Winepress: https://lnkd.in/gM8gequH #MarlboroughNZ #winepress #nzwine #marlboroughwine

TEARS, JOY and a whole lot of hope were shared alongside the best of Kiwi hospitality at Pinot Noir New Zealand 2025, held in Christchurch last month. The three-day conference, which celebrates the country’s most widely planted red grape, gave attendees an opportunity to reconnect, share their stories and be informed and inspired by a wide range of expert speakers from New Zealand and abroad. Greywacke winemaker Richelle Tyney was “honoured” to represent Marlborough in the Pinot Hero Panel on the first day. “I absolutely love Marlborough Pinot Noir,” Richelle says. “We have a vibrancy and energy that I don’t think any other region can replicate, particularly the intensity and structure we get from the Southern Valleys. As a region, we’ve definitely identified the sites that give that quality and complexity, and as the vines have matured and we’ve matured, we’re getting better fruit and have the experience now to allow the wines to sing.” Read more in the March edition of Winepress: https://lnkd.in/gM8gequH #MarlboroughNZ #winepress #nzwine #marlboroughwine #PinotNoir

THE DINNER table at the Peter family home in the Awatere Valley is more than a place to share food and stories. It doubles as a board room for the family businesses – where ideas are hatched, plans are plotted and daring decisions are made. It was at this table that Andy Peter and his lifelong partner Michelle McConway, both from Awatere sheep and beef farming families, decided to convert a huge swathe of their flat land from pasture to vineyards in 1999. It was a bold decision. They knew nothing about grapes and were one of the first in the valley to plant a vineyard on clay soils above the alluvial river terraces where most had been planted up until that point. Read more in the March issue of Winepress: Read online: https://lnkd.in/gM8gequH Images: The Peter family, from left: David, Michelle, Ashley, Andy and Angus Angus and David growing up on the farm #MarlboroughNZ #winepress #nzwine #marlboroughwine

THE MARLBOROUGH Wine and Food Festival on February 8 was one of the hottest ever, but the enthusiasm among the crowd did not wilt in the heat. Visitors to the Renwick Domain were very positive about the event, particularly those from outside the region, who made up 46% of the 5700 people attending. Wineries large and small used the festival to raise brand awareness and share experimental wines. The Marlborist’s Richard Ellis says the festival is an opportunity to consumer-test his rosé. As a new label The Marlborist was there for brand awareness and that went well, with people keen to know where to source his wine. “What surprised me was that there were quite a few international trade people coming through from the US. That was excellent.” Read more in the March edition of Winepress https://lnkd.in/gM8gequH #MarlboroughNZ #winepress #nzwine #marlboroughwine

LIKE MANY Kiwis on their big OE, Saint Clair white winemaker Heather Stewart had her first taste of the industry working as a bartender in swanky wine bars in central London. The city has often been referred to as the centre of the world’s wine trade and Heather, who was on a three-year world odyssey after completing a Bachelor of Arts at Auckland University and the first year of a Master of Science at Canterbury University, grabbed the opportunity to learn all about the great wines of the world. On returning to New Zealand and completing a Master of Applied Psychology at Canterbury University, a friend invited Heather to join her for a harvest at Saint Clair in 2008. “Beyond enjoying wine as a product, the process of winemaking wasn’t something that had ever crossed my mind,” Heather says. “It was really cool to experience that side of the industry.” With a passion for food, travel, art and culture, Heather’s interests dovetailed beautifully with winemaking. Following her first vintage as a cellarhand, she put her hand up to help in the laboratory which morphed into a laboratory manager role for vintage 2009. The self-professed academic, who “likes studying and knowing the science behind what I do”, decided to enroll for a Postgraduate Diploma in Oenology with Eastern Institute of Technology while working at Saint Clair. Read more in the February edition of Winepress: https://lnkd.in/gNauNQRD #marlboroughnz #winepress #nzwine

The March issue of Winepress looks at: Cloudy Bay celebrates The company that put Marlborough wine on the map 40 years ago marks the milestone birthday Vintage update Problem-solving and positive thinking come to the fore as crops are ripening in the vineyards Succession Plan The Peter family share the risks and rewards in their move from sheep-farming to winegrowing Wine and Food Festival Marlborough turned on the heat and hospitality to spread the word about the region’s quality brand Generation Y-ine - Alessandro Carraro Read online: https://lnkd.in/gM8gequH #MarlboroughNZ #winepress #nzwine #marlboroughwine

WHEN TIMES are tough for business, it’s even tougher for volunteer and non-profit organisations that rely on sponsorship to carry out their good work. As company budgets are reviewed for the year ahead, it’s easy to put a red line through the “nice-to-haves” and “noncore business” such as community sponsorship and sustainability programmes. But some wine companies are looking at the bigger picture – they understand the importance of supporting the community and natural environment that supports them, especially when government funds are drying up and there’s stiff competition for grants. Read more in the February issue of Winepress: https://lnkd.in/gNauNQRD

ENVIROFARM’S Tracy Taylor is working hard to make sure Marlborough’s grapegrowers are as light on the land as possible. Tracy will be part of a roundtable discussion tomorrow about environmental risks from viticulture during Climate Action Week Marlborough. Read more in the February edition of Winepress: https://lnkd.in/gNauNQRD The Climate Action Week programme shares experiences on how businesses can help combat climate change and protect our natural resources. Find out more and book online here: https://lnkd.in/gAHuWXxJ

Join us at the Marlborough V.I.N.E session on 20th February, 4pm at the New Zealand Wine Centre, 85 Budge Street. Enjoy chatting with viticulturists and sponsors over light refreshments as well as finding out more about this year's Marlborough Young Viticulturist of the Year competition. See you there! @nzwinegrowers ( #📷 @nzyoungvit )