Winepress - August 2023

50 Years

This month marks 50 years since the first vines were planted to launch the Marlborough wine industry. BRENDON BURNS looks at the 1990s when the region’s reputation was sealed despite a major climatic blip.

Phil and Chris Rose in 1991, when their first vintage of Wairau River Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc proved a winner.

THE 1990s started with a busy first year. Pioneer wine grower Bill Walsh built the Highfield winery, while Allan Scott Wines was being established amid the first wave of independent labels. Delegat’s produced its first vintage of Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, while Montana launched Deutz Marlborough Cuvee with the help of the Deutz champagne house; all stock was sold out within weeks. In 1990 Montana won the Marquis de Goulaine Trophy for best Sauvignon Blanc in the world at

the International Wine and Spirit Competition in London. Another hallmark of the early 90s was the emergence of an industry to support wine production. This included the robust plastic Wirecare clip developed by Rex BrookeTaylor. Meanwhile Geoff Taylor’s engineering firm was designing and manufacturing rotary fermenters, wine tanks and tipping bins.

In 1991, Babich took its first harvest from contract grower David Pigou in Selmes Road, and NMIT established vineyards to support the viticultural and winemaking courses being planned. Blenheim’s BOS Print produced their first wine bottle labels.

By 1992, Wine Marlborough Limited was being formed as the trading company for Marlborough’s Winegrowers Association, and the Rose family were building the iconic mudbrick winery that is now a restaurant and tasting room. The same year, Vavasour took three top awards at the Liquorland Royal Easter Wine Awards, sealing the Awatere Valley’s future.

A year later, Alan McCorkindale won five national trophies at the Air New Zealand Wine Show for Corbans' Marlborough wines, and Ormond Nurseries set up a root stock venture at the Marlborough Research Centre.

In 1994, Brent and John Marris established the Wither Hills label and Michael Seresin began converting his vineyard to organic practices. At a gala event, then Prime Minister Jim Bolger opened the new Grove Mill winery in the Waihopai Valley.

The 1995 vintage was a disaster for Marlborough (see page 12), with too few wineries to handle rapidly deteriorating grapes in a drenched harvest. A Montana advert summed it up, saying “it rained and it rained and it rained”.

However, the vintage proved a merciful one-off and winemaking capacity quickly began to expand to meet increasing production. By the late 1990s, Marlborough’s reputation for producing a range of fine wine was confirmed. The 1998 London International Wine Challenge saw Deutz Marlborough Cuvee named top sparkling wine, Corban’s Stoneleigh Chardonnay was top white wine, and Hunter’s 1995 Miru Miru méthode traditionelle won a trophy for a wine in its first year of production.

By 1999, demand for Marlborough wine – and the land to grow it — was increasing. Villa Maria’s new winery at Fairhall was open and, after years of denying any interest, Montana began buying land in the Awatere Valley.