MARGARET HANSON BLUE EARTH ESTATE

Margaret and Mike Hanson co-founded Blue Earth Estate and became winemakers and olive growers by accident. Margaret said the pair were looking for a five-acre block where they could plant native trees and enjoy their weekends alongside their respective consultancy careers.

They found the perfect piece of land. However, it was 30 acres, and the pair felt the land needed to be productive. Twenty-five years ago, the pair planted olives on a bare sheep paddock. The following year the Hanson's planted a vineyard for someone else to use, Martinborough's pioneer winemaker, Bill Brink.

The intention was that if it was a nice day and the couple were in the mood, they would help. Otherwise, the vineyard would be all for Brink.

"Unfortunately, Bill died three years later, so we had to scramble and do some fast learning. Luckily Martinborough Vineyard took us under their wing and taught us, encouraged us, commiserated when things went wrong, celebrated when things went right and bought our grapes," said Margaret.

In 2010, the Hanson's were talked into a partnership to do their wine label, The Elder Pinot. Now the wine has been brought into the Blue Earth family and has been rebranded Blue Earth Estate.

For their olive grove, the pair now have over 1,100 olive trees. The grove includes a mix of Barnea (an Israeli variety), Frantoio and Leccino (Tuscan varieties), Koroneiki (Greek) and Manzanillo (Spanish).

At Blue Earth Estate, the Hanson's specialise in extra virgin blends, with most years producing three blends. Over the years, the oils have won national and international awards. The vineyard is approximately seven acres, primarily Pinot Noir and some Pinot Gris. Quality and sustainability are the core of the Hanson couple's growing philosophy.

"We are meticulous in the care of our vineyard and olive grove. If you make wine and olive oil, it needs to be the best that this land can produce."

As the age of the trees and the vines has increased, the quality has also increased. Margaret said the pair believe owning land-owning land is a privilege and responsibility. For example, the Hanson's are passionate about using sustainable farming practices, generating their power, using electric tools, and planting native trees yearly, with the pair having also put in a pond for wildlife and conducting predator trapping.

New Zealand Olives have run a successful research project called the Focus Grove project over the years. Growing olives in New Zealand differs from growing them in other parts of the world. This project helped the Hanson's identify what works best in New Zealand.

"We have followed the practices identified in this research, and the results have proven its worth."

As a result, Blue Earth Estate's crops have increased yearly, with the trees being the healthiest they have ever been, despite having been faced with two difficult seasons. Margaret emphasised the importance of growers knowing their land.

"We are on an old stony river terrace. Varieties and practices that work here may not work in other places. Barnea loves our land. They have been pulled out in many other areas because they didn't work."

The terroir strongly influences the quality of Blue Earth Estate's products. The stony soils provide excellent drainage. The soils are not particularly fertile, which is great for growing olives and grapes, as quality wines need low production to get the intensity of flavour. Margaret stated they are on a gentle north-facing slope, which is excellent for catching the sunlight and letting the frost drain off. However, they are also exposed to the wind, both a challenge and a blessing. The wind helps keep disease low and contributes to the flavours of the wines.

Daily tasks are heavily influenced by the time of year, with the current focus being pruning in the olive grove and planting native seedlings the Hanson's have been nurturing, which all needs to be interspersed with marketing and sales as Margaret added that there was no point in making great products if they are not sold.

Blue Earth Estate's most challenging harvests have been the last few years, primarily due to the wet weather.

"We have been lucky compared to many. We judge the success of an olive harvest on three things, quantity of fruit, the yield of oil, and quality of the oil."

The last two years with the wet, cool weather have meant that Blue Earth Estate has had disappointing oil yields, making the economics of producing olive oil much more difficult. But the crop volume has grown, and the oil quality has remained consistently high.

For grapes, it was more complicated. Two difficult seasons, 2012 and 2017, also produced

Margaret'sMargaret's favourite Pinot Noirs.

Margaret explained that climate change had a significant impact on growers in New Zealand. In the short term, the unpredictable and extreme weather events have made recent harvests and growing increasingly complex, and in the longer term, Marget said there would be challenges about what crops to grow and where. For trees and vines, this cannot be changed in a hurry.

The pandemic impacted the pair's wine sales, with Blue Earth Estate's exported wine to highend restaurants. However, home cooking became a rediscovered joy, increasing the interest in using high-quality olive oils.

Moving forward, Blue Earth Estate's goal is to continue its journey of finding ways of doing things more innovatively and sustainably and connecting with customers to share their growing journey and products.

"I am pleased we have both olives and grapes. I love making beautiful Pinot Noir, but I also love how good olive oil so easily enhances our food and health."