Wine Timeline

The decision made by Montana in 1973 to plant wine grapes in Marlborough was the most visionary and vital one made in the short history of the New Zealand Wine Industry. It wasn’t an easy road to success, but led by science, our enviable natural environment, and a brave small community who got together and got things done, Marlborough put New Zealand wine on the world map.

Marlborough has quickly grown to be New Zealand’s largest producer and has grown at an outstanding rate, growing from 6,831 hectares in 2002 to 22,819 in 2013. Today, almost 30,000ha of vines (around 2/3 of the national total) are under the care of local wine producers, making it the country's largest wine region.

Coincidentally, 2023 also marks 150 years since Marlborough’s first vineyard of Muscat was planted at Auntsfield by Scotsman David Herd in 1873. These vines were pulled out in 1931 and no others were recorded in the region until 1973.

Undervine mover
Sarah Linklater Sarah Linklater

Undervine mover

2011

Barnet Construction, Renwick design and build an undervine mower used at Isabel Vineyards.

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Recycle Sprayer
Sarah Linklater Sarah Linklater

Recycle Sprayer

2011

Blenheim business FMR Group builds a sprayer that captures and recycles Vineyard spray, cutting spray drift and reducing chemical use by about 30%.

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Phil Rose
Sarah Linklater Sarah Linklater

Phil Rose

2011

Phil Rose awarded a lifetime achievement award having been growing grapes since 1978.

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Earthquake
Sarah Linklater Sarah Linklater

Earthquake

2013

Several wineries experience damage to their wine tanks.

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Ormond Nurseries
Sarah Linklater Sarah Linklater

Ormond Nurseries

2013

Ormond Nurseries, Grovetown, replanting rootstock after increased demand. 90% had been pulled out due to a drop in demand in 2008.

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Cloudy Bay 30th vintage of Sauvignon Blanc
Sarah Linklater Sarah Linklater

Cloudy Bay 30th vintage of Sauvignon Blanc

2014

“I clearly remember the first Marlborough Sauvignon Blancs,” says Sam Weaver. “The wines were interesting but more a curiosity than anything.” But then came Cloudy Bay. “It was astonishing and completely unlike any other wine I’d tasted with exuberance and aromatic intensity.”

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WineWorks
Sarah Linklater Sarah Linklater

WineWorks

2014

WineWorks begin building a 10,000 square metre building for wine storage, at Riverlands. This will be Marlborough’s largest building.

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Supreme and Business Innovation
Sarah Linklater Sarah Linklater

Supreme and Business Innovation

2015

Paul Millen receives the top award for Supreme and Business Innovation at the Cawthron Marlborough Environment Awards. Awarded for his work breeding eucalyptus for durable hardwood products such as vineyard posts.

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Biodynamic Winery of the year
Sarah Linklater Sarah Linklater

Biodynamic Winery of the year

2015

Huia win Natural Biodynamic Winery of the year in New York International Wine Challenge. Also Giesen Marlborough Winery of the year; Staete Landt Vineyards Marlborough Pinot Noir Winery of the year at the same awards.

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Marlborough Research Centre
Sarah Linklater Sarah Linklater

Marlborough Research Centre

2015

Mike Trought started at the Marlborough Research Centre in 1984 and was made a fellow of the New Zealand Winemakers in recognition of his research into the wine industry, 2015

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Disease Management
Sarah Linklater Sarah Linklater

Disease Management

2016

Harvesters used to control disease by shaking the vines before harvest and causing them to drop grapes. This reduces the risk of botrytis.

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The Bottling Company
Sarah Linklater Sarah Linklater

The Bottling Company

2016

The Bottling Company was set up by directors Matt Elrick and Stefan Newman in May, after the pair noticed a gap in the bottling market. The Bottling Company, based at Riverlands Industrial Estate, south of Blenheim, was scheduled to start operations in the last week of January, with trial runs before then.

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Cawthron Marlborough Environment Awards
Sarah Linklater Sarah Linklater

Cawthron Marlborough Environment Awards

2017

One of the largest organic vineyards in the country has scooped the top prize at the Cawthron Marlborough Environment Awards.

Dog Point Vineyards received the supreme award after winning the landscape and habitat enhancement category

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Sarah Linklater Sarah Linklater

Most Admired

2017

For the third year in a row Villa Maria has been named one of the most admired wine brands in the world. It is the only New Zealand winery to be in the top 10, placing fourth in this year’s “World’s Most Admired Wine Brands” list.

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