When Steve and Beverley Nathan purchased their vineyard in Ngatarawa Road, Hawke’s Bay it was certainly a jump into the deep end, for neither of them knew much about the process of growing grapes, let alone the process of turning them into a finished wine. They’ve had to learn fast and Steve says the key has been to do a lot of listening. “And then filtering the wealth of neighbourly advice that was at times quite conflicting.”

But it’s a process and a lifestyle that they are both relishing.

“In Auckland we had both been involved in a highly successful software company.” Says Steve. “For some time we had looked seriously at moving to the ‘Bay and carrying on our business with a bit of commuting where necessary since we liked the rural environment and especially the opportunities to give our children a more relaxed upbringing. We already had relatives living in the area, we loved the region and the country atmosphere and knew what we were getting into in terms of the rural lifestyle. One weekend I went down to visit and came back owning a house at Maraekakaho! But we had no intentions of getting into the wine business!”

But just at this point Steve and Beverley were made an offer for their business that they could not refuse. The decision to sell was made and within a few weeks they were permanently settled in in their new home at Maraekakaho, about 15 minutes drive from Hastings. Things seemed to have just fallen into place. The children were soon enrolled in the local school where all the teachers were well acquainted with all of 135 pupils (a far cry from the impersonal hustle and bustle if their 750 pupil city school) and they began to embrace their new country outlook. Quite a fortunate chain of events.

Their move into the wine and grape growing business was almost as serendipitous. Steve spent about several months at Maraekakaho settling into the area but one day happened on the vineyard in Ngatarawa Road. He liked what he saw. “I thought the block had potential and that with some attention it could be made to work quite well.” A handshake sealed the deal with a deer farmer from Dannevirke and the property changed hands. “Quite a bit different to the 130 page deed of sale that my business had entailed!” he says.

Steve had realised that the 6 ha plot of Chardonnay, while a little neglected was already profitably supplying grapes on a contract basis. But he wanted to be a little more ‘hands on’ than the previous owner. “I didn’t want to just grow the fruit and sell it. I consulted friend and respected winemaker Elise Montgomery for advice.

Thinking that I was looking to buy a property she recommended that I think again, but when she found that I had already bought the site and the 13,500 vines, agreed to make the wines. We decided that I would like to keep about 10% of the crop for our own wines, sell the rest on contract while at the same time buying in other fruit to make a realistic portfolio of our own. All this just a few weeks before the 07 vintage, one of the best Hawke’s Bay has seen for a while.”

“The first thing was to make an un-oaked Chardonnay for Bev who had not really liked Chardonnay in her previous Auckland life but who was wooed to the grape with the un-oaked version. She now enjoys our fuller style as well. Then we bought in fruit from the Gimblett Road area to make a Syrah, a Merlot and a Rosé.”
“We also decided to diversify the business by building a tasting room and reception area and begin selling olive oils and other local produce as well as establishing a small art gallery for the likes of artist Lisa Matthys whose design features on our label.”

Salvare now produce two Chardonnays from their own fruit as well as the Rose,Syrah and Merlot from Gimblett Road fruit. “But in the very near future we’re looking to make a Viognier from fruit grown at Puketapu.”

Steve and Beverley are hands on in terms of the vineyard management. They make most of the decisions themselves and get contract help with such things as pruning and leaf plucking. “We get lots of help and advice and that’s one of the things we find so refreshing. In our previous life it would have been unthinkable to give advice or help to someone who was basically a competitor. Now it happens all the time!”

Steve says that he wants their brand and their wines to reflect a relaxed and comfortable lifestyle. “We want to make good wine, have fun doing it and enjoy the family opportunities that the area provides. Already the process of taking something from the ground and guiding both the processing and marketing of it is immensely satisfying.”

“ Perhaps the hardest thing for someone like me to come to terms with is the finite nature of the seasons and the vintages. You only have one shot per year at doing things right. A vintage stuffed is a vintage stuffed, no ‘u turns’ are possible. There’s a lot to learn, from bird control to disease prevention and it’s certainly a new experience to be married to weather reports for two months of the year!!”

But Steve and Beverley would not have it any other way and are looking forward to the opening of their new cellar door and reception area in June this year. They’d love to welcome you there. MG

All over the world some of the finest wines come from the estates that are firmly in family hands – where the personal passions of family members drive the business. Nowhere would that be more true than in New Zealand’s Nelson region. Nearly all the 20 or so producers are still firmly in family control and even the larger players are still owned and managed by family interests. There’s not a major corporate in sight!

But in the pressurised environment of today’s wine industry, retaining personal control can be difficult. Unless the business is determined to remain boutique in both size and outlook, the need for expansion brings all the problems associated with the increased investment and facilities. It’s a conundrum that leads almost inevitably to the acquisition of shareholders or the sale of vineyards and plant to the larger pockets of national and international corporations.

But two of the larger wine producers in Nelson may have hit on a solution that enables them to retain their personal, “hands on” approach to their wines while at the same time providing a secure platform for their own and Nelson’s expansion.

The first family is that of the Drummonds of Motueka, owners of Anchorage Wines.

Over the past 8 years Chris Drummond, his brother, father and brother in law have pioneered the Motueka area for grape growing with their first vines planted in 2000 and their first vintage under their own label in 2003.
With a background in orcharding that stretches back to the late 1800s they were well aware of the local horticultural environment and their viticultural efforts met with immediate success. Conversion of orchard land into vineyards has meant that their initial plantings of 20ha of Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc have expanded to 45ha and they have another 20ha yet to plant. Viognier and a small amount of Pinot Noir have been added to their portfolio. With all the land in full production it will make them one of the region’s biggest growers and a significant player not only on the Nelson scene but also nationally.

But with the expected expansion in production came the dilemmas of increased winery requirements and with the appointment of their own winemaker it was obvious to Chris that the establishment of their own facility was essential. A big call!

At the same time another family owned producer, Kahurangi Estate in Upper Moutere were facing similar dilemmas.

Greg and Amanda Day bought the old Seifried vineyards and winery in Upper Moutere in 1998 and have built the company to a stage where it has an extensive export portfolio and has increased production to the point where it is included in NZ Winegrowers catalogue as one of the “medium” category wineries with production of more than 200,000 litres of wine (more than 20,000 cases). They make two ranges. The premium range includes Riesling, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Merlot under their Kahurangi Label while entry level wines under their Trout Valley label include Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling and Pinot Noir with Pinot Gris to be added for the 2008 vintage.

But with this increased production Kahurangi needed greater winery capacity. “As an example of our increased growth I’m already out of 2007 Sauvignon Blanc,” Greg comments. “And I could certainly have sold more if I had had the capacity to make it. So as our own winery at Kahurangi came under increasing pressure from expanding volumes we could see a need not only for an outlet for our own increased yields but also the opportunity for a processing facility for many of the smaller producers in Nelson.”

“I’d considered building a new winery on our Moutere site but it would have taken considerable work to ensure resource consent and it would not have fitted in well with the more boutique flavour of our cafŽ and tasting room or the characterful accommodation that we offer at our present winery site. So I was looking at finding an existing facility that could perhaps be converted.”

“But in a serendipitous moment through contact with Justin Papesch, the newly appointed winemaker at Anchorage, the possibility of a joint venture winery and production centre was mooted. I had originally thought of a relatively small winery but once I met Chris and we talked it through, a partnership with Anchorage in a winery that would not only serve us both but also provide a contract facility for the Nelson area seemed the only way to go.”

As a result of their discussion Torrent Bay Vintner’s was born. Chris had access to a large packing shed that was admirably suited to conversion with cool handling and storage areas already in place, Both families are more than pleased with the results of their efforts.

“It enables us to retain our individuality and keep control of our own wines while at the same time pooling resources and even winemaking experiences,” says Chris. “If there are problems or if there is the need for consultation not only can we call on both the Kahurangi and the Torrent Bay winemakers but we can also add the experience of Greg and myself.”

Both families appreciate the fact that the new winery is on “their side” of town and that their fruit can be in the winery within minutes. Chris comments that he has noticed an immediate increase in quality since he has been able to get fruit into the winery straight from the vineyard without it having to be trucked over the hill to the crushing facility in Marlborough.

This year Torrent Bay crushed about 450 tonnes of Anchorage and Kahurangi fruit as well as some on contract for local suppliers. “We’ll probably be up to around 700 tonnes capacity next year,” says Chris. “And we already have a potential capacity for around a 1000 tonnes. It would be possible to expand to more than 2000 tonnes in the future but weÕll have to see what the demand is before we look at those sort of figures.”

In the meantime the partnership seems to be working well. Greg has a nearby custom made winery for his increasing export production and is likely to make Torrent Bay facility the home base for his Trout Valley label.

At the same time Chris and his family at Anchorage have secured a long term home for the increased production they are expecting from their new plantings. And Nelson has a “top of the line” juicing and crushing plant that makes the smaller producers in the area less reliant on the vagaries of the Marlborough facilities. To mangle a cliche even further – it’s win – win – win? MG