Marlborough Wine Stories

Marlborough is unique – not for any one reason but for many. This region is full of colour, complexity and diversity – making this part of New Zealand truly special. Explore our uniquely Marlborough wine stories.

From August 2023 the region’s winemakers and growers are celebrating 50 years of Marlborough’s official beginning as a wine region. Discover the history of our region’s wine brands and explore stories about our people and place that make it special here.

Many Winemakers Contribute to Legacy Award

Knowledge passed from one winemaking team to another over nearly a decade has come up trumps at the 2022 Marlborough Wine Show, sponsored by QuayConnect.

Despite previously being a category dominated by white wines, Wither Hills picked up the Marlborough Museum Legacy Award with their Wither Hills Taylor River Single Vineyard Pinot Noir 2019, 2015 and 2011.

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Marisco Leads the Way for Marlborough Pinot Noir

The 2022 Marlborough Wine Show Champion Wine of the Show, sponsored by QuayConnect, is the result of years of hard work on the road to perfection.

Marisco Vineyards Proprietor and Winemaker Brent Marris says the journey of Marisco Vineyards ‘The King’s Wrath’ Pinot Noir 2021 began long before the 2021 vintage, way back when they first planted Pinot Noir grapes in Marlborough’s Southern Valleys.

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Alun Kilby crowned 2022 Young Winemaker of the Year

Congratulations to Alun Kilby from Marisco in Marlborough for becoming the 2022 Tonnellerie de Mercurey NZ Young Winemaker of the Year.

Alun, 28, is Production Winemaker at Marisco. He has worked in the New Zealand wine industry for 13 years from Auckland to Central Otago before settling in Marlborough and is thrilled to take out this prestigious title.

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King’s Wrath the King of the Show

Marisco Vineyards ‘The King’s Wrath’ Pinot Noir 2021 has been crowned the Champion Wine of the 2022 Marlborough Wine Show, sponsored by QuayConnect.

The company wasn’t the only one to make waves with Pinot Noir; the variety shined at the 2022 competition, across all vintages and subregions.

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More than 550 wines entered in this year’s Marlborough Wine Show

Seventeen judges are about to immerse themselves in Marlborough wine as the Marlborough Wine Show sponsored by QuayConnect kicks off this week.

Those judges will be kept busy with entries in most categories well above previous years. Chief Judge Ben Glover says wineries are well aware of the importance of shows, particularly regional ones such as Marlborough.

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Tahryn Mason is the 2022 Corteva Young Viticulturist of the Year

Congratulations to Tahryn Mason from Villa Maria in Marlborough, who became the 2022 Corteva Young Viticulturist of the Year. The National Final was held on 30 August at Indevin’s Bankhouse in Marlborough with the announcement made at the Awards Dinner the following evening.

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RSE Scheme in the news

The Marlborough community is justifiably outraged by recent media stories relating to some RSE employees in our community. A Labour Inspectorate investigation is underway, and we await the results. If any of the recent allegations are upheld, we should all be concerned.

It is critical to everyone that the RSE scheme ensures the win-wins it was set up to achieve are strengthened for the workers, businesses and communities involved. We fully support the move to push ahead with a review of the RSE scheme.

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Who will be Marlborough’s next Young Winemaker of the year?

The Young Winemaker competition aims to help ambitious and passionate young people become future leaders of the NZ wine industry. It is a fantastic opportunity for emerging young winemakers to grow, develop and advance their careers. We are pleased to introduce you to the young Marlborough contestants competing in the Marlborough competition 21st August 2022.

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Whitehaven supports LegaSea

Produced by Whitehaven Wines, the Kōparepare wine range has been created to support the protection and restoration of New Zealand’s marine environment. All sales of Kōparepare benefit the work of LegaSea, a non-profit organisation dedicated to restoring the abundance, biodiversity and health of New Zealand’s marine environment.

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Pioneering viticulturist

A stalwart of the Marlborough wine industry, Dominic Pecchenino, has been honoured by the board of Wine Marlborough with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

The award, which recognises service to the development of the Marlborough Wine industry, was presented to the viticultural consultant during the Winter Pruning Field Day held at Matador Estate today [Wednesday, 25 May].

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Pinot Gris Making its Mark

When it comes to the Marlborough wine scene, Pinot Gris is a relatively new kid on the block. But it hasn’t taken long for it to make its mark in the region.

On May 17, we’ll be celebrating International Pinot Gris Day and Marlborough’s second-most produced white wine, following Sauvignon Blanc.

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Balancing Act

Marlborough’s 2022 vintage was “edge-of-your-seat” stuff, with higher yields, inclement weather and the impact of Covid infections on crews, says Sophie Parker-Thomson, MW.

And it required a change in mindset from industry, following three consecutive drought years and light crops last year. “There has been a temptation to replenish the very empty pipelines with the bountiful yields - principally Sauvignon Blanc,” says Sophie, who owns and runs Blank Canvas Wines with her husband Matt Thomson.

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#SauvBlancDay

Marlborough: Its long days of sunshine, crisp mornings, towering mountain ranges, meandering riverbeds and the sunken valleys of the Marlborough Sounds, glistening with crisp, emerald green waters.

If Marlborough came in a flavour there’s no doubt it would be Sauvignon Blanc, the wine that put the region on the map more than 30 years ago.

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