From the Editor

THE DUST has barely settled on the Marlborough Wine Show Celebration, which paid homage to the pioneers behind 50 years of Marlborough’s wine industry while raising a glass to some extraordinary trophy-winning wines.

But the Wine Marlborough team are already head down in runsheets again, with the Marlborough Wine & Food Festival on the near horizon. The festival is nearly 40 years old, but each February it’s made fresh, new, and compelling, with a carefully curated array of new music, exciting food, and accessible wine education. That’s thanks to the dedication of the Wine Marlborough crew, led by events manager Loren Coffey, and a team of industry supporters and returning sponsors who see the long-term value it brings our region and its wine industry.

“The festival is nearly 40 years old, but each February it’s made fresh, new and compelling, with a carefully curated array of new music, exciting food, and accessible wine education.”

On February 10 there’ll be plenty of people at Renwick Domain there to simply share music, food and wine with friends, in a classic summer’s day out. There’ll also be Marlborough wine brand fans and aficionados, eager to try the wines they love in the place they are from, amongst the people who grew and made them. And there’ll be those eager to learn more, via the masterclasses that offer a taste of what Marlborough does best, along with an education about why. This year there are four masterclasses, with wine experts Ngarita Warden and Nadine Worley helping design a selection to satisfy everything from curiosity about wine and cheese matching to intrigue about Pinot Noir blending. Read more about that on page 4.

There’s no MetReport in this edition, due to print timelines over the festive season. But rest assured that Rob Agnew will make up for it with a bumper report in the February Winepress. In the meantime, take a look at the insights shared from people throughout the wine industry on the year ahead, from winemakers to bottlers, and from science providers to politicians. The end of 2023 was a busy time for everyone, and I am extremely grateful that these people took the time to consider the potential headwinds and high points ahead.

Happy new year!

SOPHIE PREECE