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In this month’s Marlborough Wine Podcast, winemakers Brian Bicknell and Murray Cook talk about Chardonnay – a variety that made up just 4.6% of New Zealand’s harvest in the 2023 vintage, but is getting a lot of attention right now. This recording is being released just before the Aotearoa New Zealand Chardonnay Symposium, running in early October in Te Matau-a-Māui Hawke’s Bay. It’s also nearly time for the Marlborough Pinot Boot camp, on November 23, which despite its name will be focused on Chardonnay as well.
Brian is the founder of boutique producer Mahi and has been a pioneering force in Marlborough’s wine industry for more than 20 years, devoted to the association of wine to place, along with hands off winemaking. That’s the focus he’ll have at the Chardonnay Symposium (hawkesbaywine.co.nz/symposium), where he will speak about single vineyard Chardonnay as part of The New Zealand Society for Viticulture and Oenology technical workshop.
Murray Cook is Winemaker at Dog Point Vineyards, having shifted his career plans to wine in 2003, after plans to ski in Central Otago were displaced by a pruning season. Twenty years on, Murray is part of the committee that organises an annual Pinot boot camp for Marlborough producers. Last year they moved the focus to Chardonnay, and they’re doing it again this year, bringing together a team of devoted producers to share knowledge, insights, and trial work.
Both Brian and Murray talk about their love of a variety that can be hard to find space for in Marlborough, where Sauvignon steals the limelight and accounts for 24,222 hectares of Marlborough’s planted area, which is just under 30,000ha. Chardonnay plantings are a small but beloved 1,000ha or so of the vineyard area, compared to Pinot Noir at 2637ha, and Pinot Gris at 1237ha. Companies like Mahi and Dog Point are committed to retaining a greater stake in the variety, and Brian and Murray talk about why Chardonnay needs to play a role in Marlborough’s wine story.
This podcast is made possible thanks to the support of Riversun Nursery
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50 Years; 50 Stories
Stories that we’ve never heard, people that we didn’t know about. That’s how journalist Mike White reacts to Tessa Anderson’s new book 50 Years, 50 Stories in their interview at the 2023 Marlborough Book Festival in July.
Mike and Tessa talk about the early pioneers of the industry, including Frank Yukich and Wayne Thomas, and about those who have helped drive its extraordinary success over the past 50 years. Tessa’s book, which was launched on August 24, half a century after Montana planted the first vines in the region, pays homage to the people and places behind Marlborough wine, as well as the hero variety that has put it on the world stage.
Some of us take it for granted that Marlborough is wine country, says Mike. “But it wasn't like that. Certainly not when I was growing up here. And it is an amazing story.”
Thanks to Tessa, Mike and the Marlborough Book Festival (marlboroughbookfest.co.nz) for sharing this wonderful recording. To buy Tessa’s book go to: Rata Publications
This podcast is made possible thanks to the support of Riversun Nursery
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Fifty years of wine in Marlborough – a conversation with Allan Scott
In the early 1970s, Marlborough was vastly different from the vine-swept valleys seen today, instead dominated by sheep farms and crops. In the August edition of the Marlborough Wine Podcast, Allan Scott recounts some of his extraordinary experiences over the past 50 years, as a vineyard worker, pioneering grape grower, and founder of Allan Scott Wines.
On a dry and dusty development in August 1973, no one would have thought that Marlborough’s wine industry would be one of the “cornerstones” of New Zealand’s economy, Allan says.
Marlborough Wine general manager Marcus Pickens also joins Sophie Preece in the introduction to this podcast, discussing the half century of Marlborough wine, and how the region’s winegrowers, makers and marketers view the industry today.
This podcast is made possible thanks to the support of Riversun Nursery
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Climate action in Marlborough wine companies
In this episode, we talk to two wine companies leading the industry charge when it comes to climate action. Sophie Preece talks to Michael Wentworth from Yealands Estate, and Belinda Jackson from Lawson’s Dry Hills about the work they have done to cut and offset emissions, and the aspirations they have, including inspiring and informing other wine companies.
Marlborough Wine advocacy manager Nicci Armour joins Sophie in the introduction to this podcast, discussing the winter pruning season, work on circularity in the industry, and the carbon cutting work being done by companies like Yealands and Lawson’s Dry Hills.
Michael is the general manager of sustainability and strategic projects at Yealands Wine Group, which is one of two New Zealand members of International Wineries for Climate Action - a group dedicated to driving the global wine industry’s response to climate change. Yealands was Toitū carbonzero certified from inception in 2008 and is now committed to becoming carbon positive by 2050, accredited within the United Nations’ Race to Zero campaign.
Belinda is the marketing and sales manager at Lawson’s Dry Hills, which began its emissions reduction journey in 2010. By 2011 Lawson’s had gained ISO 14001 certification, which assessed the company from vine to port, and in 2020 they gained ISO 14064 and became a Toitū certified net carbonzero wine producer, requiring rigorous measurement of the company’s emissions, continuous improvement in cutting those they can, and carbon credit offsetting wherever they can’t. Belinda is speaking at the New Zealand Winegrowers Grape Days events around the country this month, so it’s great to hear some of her insights.
Both of these companies are providing leadership in the climate action space, and are fantastic examples of the collegiality of New Zealand’s wine industry - always keen to share their knowledge and help other companies follow in their (increasingly light) footsteps.
This podcast is made possible thanks to the support of Riversun Nursery
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The Good Dirt
Erica Crawford has seen “tremendous change” in New Zealand’s organic wine sector since Loveblock Wines joined the fold in 2008. Speaking in the lead-up to the Organic & Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference, Erica talks of the growth in organic vineyard area around New Zealand, and the burgeoning global demand for organic wine.
Organic viticulture consultant Bart Arnst – who is co-founder of Organic Winegrowers New Zealand, co-founder of organic wine label The Darling, and co-chair of the upcoming conference – joins Erica on the podcast, bringing three decades of experience to the discussion. Bart says the vibrancy of certified organic vineyards in Marlborough and around New Zealand is just part of the story, with organic and biodynamic philosophies influencing many conventional and regenerative viticulture operations as well.
The conference programme is intended to help everyone grow better, he says in the podcast. “Even if you will never be organic in your life, we hope that there’ll be something there that you can take away and go, ‘oh, I could actually use that’.”
This podcast is made possible thanks to the support of Riversun Nursery
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Subregionality and wellbeing in Marlborough’s wine industry
Simon Waghorn was a ‘wannabe seaweed geek’ when he traded his master’s degree in botany to become a winemaker 40 years ago.
Heather Stewart has a master’s in industrial and organisational psychology but fell for the wine industry after taking on a vintage job in 2008.
In the wake of Marlborough’s magic 2023 vintage, Sophie Preece talks to these passionate winemakers about the inaugural Marlborough Wine Industry Wellness Week, and how the new Wine Map of Marlborough will help winemakers and wine companies navigate our subregional wine stories.
This podcast is made possible thanks to the support of Riversun Nursery.
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It's harvest time in Marlborough and the region is a bustle of grape trucks, harvesters, and talk about the quality of the fruit.
This episode hosts Sophie Preece and Kat Pickford are joined by viticulturist Nigel Sowman and winemaker Jules Taylor to discuss their experiences, roles and expectations for this year's vintage.
The Marlborough Wine Podcast explores the fascinating world of grape growing and winemaking in New Zealand’s biggest wine-growing region. Whether you are curious about what makes a great wine or what’s happening in the soil beneath the vines, we’ve got you covered.
This podcast is created in partnership with Marlborough Wine, an industry association working to grow, educate, protect and celebrate the region’s winegrowers.
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Coming soon to a podcast player near you is The Marlborough Wine Podcast, where we will explore the fascinating world of grape growing and winemaking in New Zealand’s biggest wine-growing region.
Marlborough is a world-famous wine region that is best known for its Sauvignon Blanc but has won acclaim for so many other styles and varieties.
Every month, we’ll be talking to local grape growers, winemakers, and scientists to learn more about what makes Marlborough such a special place for wine. We’ll be exploring everything from the growth of organics and regenerative viticulture to the latest winemaking techniques and trends.
Whether you are curious about what makes a great wine, or what’s going on in the soil beneath the vines, we’ve got you covered.
So join us every month as we take you on a journey through the vineyards, wineries, and cellars of Marlborough.
