Méthode Marlborough executive board and technical sub-committee member Andrew Parley says the annual celebration is a chance to celebrate Marlborough’s sparkling wine harvest.

“We start the Marlborough harvest with the first grapes coming in for our traditional method wines, so it’s a time to celebrate the new vintage kicking off,” he says.

Sixteen years ago, Damien Yvon moved to Marlborough from his homeland of France for a three year stint working at Clos Henri. Needless to say, he never left.

For all but one of those 16 years, prior to the covid-19 pandemic, the company’s founders, the Bourgeois family of France, have joined him at work during harvest.

As one of the pioneers of wine in Marlborough, Saint Clair Family Estate has built a large array of traditions over the years, not least of all during harvest.

Acknowledging the help they receive from people across all corners of the globe to get fruit into bottles, the team at Saint Clair places huge emphasis on making those people feel as welcome and at home as they can.

When it comes to Riesling, the Germans have long been onto a good thing.

The first known written reference to the drop was in 1402, termed then as ‘Rüssling, in the city of Worms, Germany. It’s no wonder, then, that German winemakers are a source of inspiration for one of Marlborough’s avid Riesling producers…

Each winery has its own, slightly unique harvest traditions, but for the most part the idea remains the same: to celebrate the arrival of fruit from the vineyard into the winery, as well as the people behind tending to the grapes both throughout the year and during vintage.

For the most part, celebrations have been social in nature, and as such have seen some changes since the arrival of covid-19 on New Zealand shores in 2020.

It is hard to imagine the Marlborough landscape without hundreds of thousands of vines. But it hasn’t always been this way. In reality the march of vines across the plains and gently sloping hills of the region only began back in 1973. Prior to that Marlborough was better known for its abundance of sunshine and its production of barley and lucerne. No one could have imagined that a little known wine company based in Auckland would change the face of Marlborough forever.

For more than 30 years, we’ve spent the week putting the final touches on the iconic Marlborough Wine and Food Festival, which historically takes place on the second Saturday of February.

Here are a few of the events happening around Marlborough on Saturday 12, and Sunday 13 February 2022.

Once again Saint Clair is at the forefront of the wine review pages in the Cuisine Magazine. Any regular reader will often see Saint Clair wines in the line-up. In January 2021 issue, Saint Clair excelled in the tasting with five of the seven 5-star rated Sauvignon Blanc wines. The Cuisine issue number 205 that hit the shelves in April 2021, showcased excellence from Saint Clair within the Pinot Noir tasting. This time February 2022, it is the Saint Clair aromatic wines which rise to the top. 

There’s nothing quite like a crisp wine on a hot summer’s day, and recent years have seen a rise in the status of Marlborough Rosé. ⁠

⁠With help from Nick Entwistle, Wairau River Wines and Dave Clouston, Two Rivers, here's our Guide to Marlborough Rosè [link in bio].⁠

⁠NZ Rosé Day is this Saturday, 5th of February. Have you got your glass of Marlborough Rosé ready to raise?⁠

Visitors can enjoy ‘The Spirit Journey’, a signature vertical tasting of one of the most iconic red blends of New Zealand, the Spirit of Marlborough. The flight begins with a barrel sample moving then to 2015 (current release) and then to library editions such as 2011 and 2008.

Great wine is made in the vineyard and that is never more true than when talking about Pinot Noir. The variety, which is Marlborough’s second most planted, is renowned for being tricky. It requires the right conditions to flourish, in terms of site, soil and climate.

Many winemakers and grape growers in Marlborough will admit that getting consumers to identify with Pinot Noir from this region has been a tough ask. Why? Because mention Marlborough to wine consumers and their first thought is Sauvignon Blanc.

Pinot Noir, once described as being like a prickly house guest that you have to go out of your way to please, is Marlborough’s second most planted grape variety. With 2,722 hectares it is a long way behind the region’s flagship wine, Sauvignon Blanc, which has a total of 22,777 hectares.

Wairau River Wines winemaker Nick Entwistle says it was satisfying to receive the trophy after years of work to perfect the wine. “[This] is a wine style that we have been developing and refining since 2015. Back in 2013, Sam [Rose] and I were looking at which alternative varieties might be a good fit for the Marlborough climate,” he says.

The 2021 Marlborough Wine Show’s Best Organic Wine was the result of hard graft at Giesen Group’s Clayvin Vineyard; each vine tended by hand.

Giesen Chief Winemaker Duncan Shouler says winning the Vit Management Ltd Best Organic Wine trophy for their Giesen Single Vineyard Clayvin Pinot Noir 2017 was fantastic for the company.

The title of Champion Sweet Wine at the 2021 Marlborough Wine Show is another title to add to a growing list for Forrest Wines.

Officially titled the Barrel Finance and Logistics Champion Sweet Wine, the trophy was awarded to the Forrest Wines Botrytised Riesling 2018, the most renowned wine in the family business’ range.

It was also the only wine of seven in the category to receive a gold medal this year.

Marlborough Wine Show’s Champion Rosé for 2021 was the first attempt at a Rosé for the winning winery in six years.

Trophy winners Riverby Estate last made a Rosé in 2015, and knocked it out of the park when they decided to put it back on their wine list this year.

Winery owner Kevin Courtney says while they had previously made Rosés using Pinot Noir and Syrah, the 2021 vintage was made using a small percentage of Pinot Gris and Grüner Veltliner in place of Syrah, to boost the aromatics of the wine.

Tohu Wines’ Rewa Méthode Traditionelle Blancs de Blancs 2015 has made a habit of picking up awards, the latest being the title of Champion Sparkling Wine at the 2021 Marlborough Wine Show.

Officially known as the Vitis & Winemaking Champion Sparkling Wine trophy, the category attracted a 45% increase in entries this year, with five Gold Medals awarded.

Tohu Wines Winemaker Anna McCarty says their Rewa Méthode Traditionelle Blanc de Blancs has had a long and successful history for the company, consistently gaining recognition as an elite wine.

Named after New Zealand’s honeysuckle tree, the Rewarewa, the wine was made with celebration in mind, she says.

Consistent recognition is proving both a blessing and a challenge for the makers of this year’s Champion Chardonnay, previous vintage, at the Marlborough Wine Show.

Officially known as the MRC Champion Chardonnay, 2019 & Older, the title was awarded to the Mount Riley 17 Valley Chardonnay 2019, the latest of many awards for this wine.

Mount Riley Wines Chief Winemaker Matt Murphy says it's a privilege to be able to continue the legacy of such an outstanding wine.

Wairau River Wines picked up three awards at the Marlborough Wine Show, two of which were for lesser known varieties in the region.

The Wairau River Reserve Syrah 2020 picked up the Wine Marlborough Champion Other Red Varietal, made from grapes planted in Rapaura on a hunch in 2010.