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Please note we cannot guarantee delivery of new orders by Easter. Find out more here Please note we cannot guarantee delivery of new orders by Easter. Find out more here

MEET THE MAKERS 

Get to know the people behind your favourite Foley Wines.

MEET PAUL MASON – Chief Winemaker at Martinborough Vineyard

It was Martinborough Vineyard Reserve Pinot Noir that got Paul into winemaking. Now known as Marie Zelie, the 1994 vintage will always be a firm favourite for Paul. Paul considers himself to be a caretaker of all things Martinborough Vineyard and feels very privileged to be the head winemaker

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MEET JOHN KAVANAGH – Chief Winemaker at Te Kairanga

John moved to Martinborough specifically for Pinot Noir, and became the Chief Winemaker at Te Kairanga in 2012. A graduate of Lincoln University with a post graduate diploma in Viticulture and Oenology, John was born and raised in Waiuku, south of Auckland.

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MEET RACHEL HALL – Head Distiller at Lighthouse Gin

The first female Head Distiller in New Zealand, Rachel has been crafting Lighthouse by hand since 2014. She first joined the Lighthouse team back in 2010 and learnt her craft from Neil Catherall, our founder and Master distiller.

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MEET GREG LANE – Chief Winemaker at Mt Difficulty 

Greg has most recently been the winemaker at Central Otago winery, Amisfield, before becoming Chief Winemaker at Mt Difficulty in 2021. A South Australian local, Greg grew up surrounded by wine from day dot.

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MEET STU MARFELL – Chief Winemaker at Vavasour

Born and raised in the Awatere, as a child Stu witnessed an exciting transformation from quiet pastoral farming to grape growing as Vavasour forged a new frontier in winemaking. As a nine-year-old he was at the winery for the first vintage of 1989.

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MEET PETE HENDLE – Assistant Winemaker at Te Kairanga

Pete has been Assistant Winemaker at Te Kairanga since 2017. He is most in his element enjoying crusty bread with cheese and a glass of Pinot noir contemplating the options for next harvest.

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MEET DAVE SHEPERD – Head Viticulturist in Martinborough 

Dave focuses on the seasonal variations within all of the vineyards in Martinborough from the exposed Ruatukopuna vineyard to the older vines on the Martinborough terrace. 

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MEET SUSAN VAN DER POL – Winemaker at Vavasour

Susan was raised in Blenheim, the centre of Marlborough’s wine industry. In 2002, she was awarded a diploma in Viticulture & Wine Production from Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology.

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MEET ESMÉ HOLDSWORTH – Winemaker at Grove Mill

Esmé spent her childhood in Nelson on a rural property where she found a love for the outdoors. Her parents both routinely cooked homemade meals with vegetables fresh from their garden.

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MEET TOM TURNER – Assistant Winemaker at Vavasour 

Tom joined the Vavasour team in 2019. Originally from North Canterbury, his interest in wine began when his family planted a small vineyard while he was completing a BCom at Canterbury University. 

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MEET MAT DUNCAN – Viticulturalist at Vavasour

After growing up on a vineyard in northern Hawkes Bay it was an easy choice for Mat to attend Lincoln University where he graduated with a diploma in Horticultural Vineyard Management. 

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MEET JULIANNA PATTERSON – Assistant Winemaker at Grove Mill

Jules is the Assistant Winemaker at Grove Mill. Her heart lies in the winery where she loves the science involved in crafting wine and seeing them make it into bottle. Grove Mill Pinot Noir is Jules’s pick of the bunch because of its many layers and stunning floral flavours and aromas. 

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MEET THE MARLBOROUGH - Viticulture team

Variety is the spice of life! We have vineyards spread far and wide across the Marlborough region combining 6 different varieties that our team of three look after. This geographical and varietal diversity is what gets the Viticulture team out of bed in the morning, with no two sites the same. 

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Margot Best has been an important member of the Mt Difficulty winemaking team for three years and her new role as Assistant Winemaker reflects her knowledge, hard work and commitment to the continued evolution of the winery. 

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