Four pioneers of the Marlborough wine industry have been presented with Wine Marlborough Lifetime Achievement Awards at a celebration dinner in Blenheim.

James Healy, Dave Pearce, Tessa Anderson and Murray Gibbons were recognised at The Marlborough Wine Celebration Evening, which also celebrated 50 years since the beginning of the modern Marlborough wine industry.

This year was the first year that four recipients have received the award in one year, each having demonstrated tireless dedication to the industry for the best part of five decades.

Over 550 wines are to be tasted over the coming days as judges get to work at the 2023 Marlborough Wine Show, sponsored by QuayConnect.

Chief Judge Stu Marfell says the high number of entries is a testament to the calibre of the show, indicating its status as a key event for the region’s wine producers.

AFTER MORE than 40 years driving trucks, much of it transporting wine, Murray Gibbons is ready to hang up his keys. Murray never set out to be a truck driver, or a business owner for that matter, but when opportunity came knocking, he didn’t shy away. The only problem has been slowing down in an ever-expanding industry, he says. “I’m no businessman; just a truck driver who somehow ended up with a trucking business,” Murray says from ‘HQ’ – his tongue-in-cheek reference to the humble portacom tucked away on a corner site in Riverlands Industrial Estate, which houses operations for his company, Bulk Wine Distribution.

“I don’t know how many times I’ve tried to leave the industry, or slow down, or downsize, but I’ve failed miserably every time,” the 67-year-old says. “Somehow I ended up buying land, more trucks, wine tankers then a tanker wash.” His work has adapted to meet the needs of an ever-evolving industry. “If there’s one thing that’s constant in the wine industry, it’s change,” Murray says.

Dust off your hats, dig out your best summer dress and mark your calendars – ‘Locals Only’ tickets to the 2024 Marlborough Wine & Food Festival will be available for purchase from Monday 9 – Friday 13 October.

These tickets are released to locals before anyone else and will be offered at a special ‘locals only’ price from the Blenheim i-SITE or – for the first time – online via the Marlborough Wine & Food Festival website. Numbers are limited, so get planning with your friends and whānau to ensure you don’t miss out.

Congratulations to Callum Haynes from Matua Wines who is the 2023 Tonnellerie de Mercurey Marlborough Young Winemaker of the Year. The competition was held on 13th September and the winners were announced at the Awards Dinner the same evening.

Callum, 29, was thrilled to take out the title “I really wanted this and have worked hard to get here” he says.

The New Zealand wine industry is embarking on a major workforce research project, taking stock of the current roles and skills across the sector to identify workforce gaps and plan for the future needs of the industry.

Wine Marlborough Ltd General Manager Marcus Pickens says this is a critical and exciting project for the industry.

“This is a collaborative project that will help us ensure that New Zealand continues to have a strong, capable and thriving wine industry made up of healthy people and businesses,” he says.

Entries are open for the 2023 Marlborough Wine Show, sponsored by QuayConnect; a key event on the Marlborough wine calendar celebrating excellence in wine.

Newly-appointed Chief Judge Stu Marfell says the show is a wonderful opportunity for Marlborough wine producers to benchmark their wines against others in the region, which has become widely known as the region that put New Zealand on the world wine stage. 

Three new trophies are up for the taking this year, with a champion wine being awarded for three subregions: the Wairau Valley, the Southern Valleys and Awatere & South Marlborough.

The Young Winemaker Competition provides a fantastic opportunity for future winemakers 30 years or under to upskill, grow in confidence, widen their network and start making a name for themselves within the industry. The winner of the regional competition will compete in the National competition against other regions. We are pleased to introduce you to the contestants competing in the Marlborough competition taking place Wednesday 13th September.

We are excited to share with you the new brand identity for our wine industry – the Marlborough wine industry.

Few would have predicted Marlborough’s rapid ascent to become one of New Zealand’s preeminent – and internationally renowned – wine-growing regions. This month, the region’s winemakers and growers are celebrating 50 years of Marlborough’s official beginning as a wine region, and inviting the country to re-discover the depth of Marlborough wine.

For the first time SWNZ has also produced regional-level reports to further assist with communicating the environmental performance of vineyards in each winegrowing region. Marlborough’s regional report is now available here.

Congratulations to Zac Howell, from Indevin, who became the Marlborough Young Viticulturist of the Year 2023 following the competition on 6th July. 

Congratulations also goes to Laura Hammond from Cloudy Bay who came second and Liv Bishop from Delegat who came third.   The other contestants were Harry Panesar, Aaron Hood, Gordon Browne, Josh Anderson and Henrietta Steele.  They all did themselves proud, getting out of their comfort zone and tackling the various challenges with gusto. 

The Young Viticulturist of the Year competition celebrates the future of viticulture. We are pleased to introduce you to the contestants competing in the Marlborough competition 6th July 2023.

Blenheim, New Zealand — Get ready to experience the latest and greatest in the wine industry with the highly anticipated New Zealand WinePRO trade event! This new trade event will be held in Marlborough, the biggest wine production region in New Zealand, from 25 to 27 June, 2024.

Congratulations to Spy Valley Wines, who have taken out the first “Marlborough Wine Industry Workplace Wellbeing Impact Award”! The entire Spy Valley team, from vineyard to winery, connected over Taco Tuesday and an exclusive preview of the 2023 vintage straight from the tanks & barrels.

Marlborough’s 2023 vintage “could have gone so wrong and came out so well”, says Astrolabe Winemaker Simon Waghorn. “Every winemaker I’ve spoken to is pretty excited and also a bit bemused.”

Despite the perils of a wet and cool spring and summer, harvest was “magic” across the board, thanks largely to a lingering harvest under optimal autumnal conditions, he adds. “I think all the varieties have benefitted from more time on the vines and ripening a bit later.”

Farmstrong is a nationwide, rural wellbeing programme that helps people manage the ups and downs of farming and growing. To find out what works for you and lock it in, visit www.farmstrong.co.nz

Here are some resources about dealing and managing stress.

International research found that people who thrive had five things in common. The key is to lock them in as small, but regular improvements, so they become a habit.

Rugby great Sam Whitelock talks about his role as Farmstrong ambassador and what he does to manage stress and pressure and build his resilience.

The first Wine Industry Wellness Week runs from May 8 to 12, to support a culture of wellness and wellbeing in the industry, while highlighting effective and innovative initiatives from across the sector. That includes everyone from growers and vineyard workers to wineries and the services sector.

A range of different activities are taking place alongside Wellness Week. Find out more here.