Cloudy Bay, clear vision: the roundabout story of New Zealand’s most famous wine

Douglas Blyde 17Apr 2025 | The London Standard

‘After our first vintage, my Italian viticulture professor came over with tears in his eyes’

The founder of Cloudy Bay wine, David Hohnen, has teamed up with entrepreneur Rupert Clevely — of Geronimo Inns fame — and the Marlborough Grape Growers Cooperative to launch Marlborough Heartland, a Sauvignon Blanc which captures the essence of a remarkable landscape.

Hohnen doesn’t just move through the wine world, he tears through it on a motorbike. Literally. In 1969, aged 20, he rode from Adelaide to Sydney, loaded his bike onto a P&O liner, and crossed the Pacific to California, petrol still sloshing in the tank. He landed in Fresno, a dusty, agricultural outpost in the Central Valley, where the local university offered five-acre student vineyards and a neglected teaching winery which hadn’t produced a drinkable drop in years. That changed when Hohnen got the keys.

“They gave me five acres of Carignan and told me to get on with it,” he says. “The winery was a mess. I spent three months scrubbing tanks. After our first vintage, my Italian viticulture professor — a good man called Vince Petrucci — came over with tears in his eyes and said, ‘Thank you, this is the first wine I’ve been able to drink from this place.”’ Hohnen was hooked.

Back in Western Australia by 1970, Hohnen helped plant the early vines which became Cape Mentelle. There was no blueprint, just instinct, energy and the conviction that wine ought to express something beyond itself. “In ‘74 we had our first real vintage. ‘78 was terrific — critic James Halliday gave us a great write-up. We were in a shed, crude kit, but the wines had promise.”

Then, in 1983, he was ambushed by a grape. A few bottles left by visiting Kiwi winemakers turned everything. He says: “It wasn’t just good – it was electrifying.”

Armed with curiosity and air miles donated by his brother Mark, Hohnen zigzagged across New Zealand in search of the right spot for Sauvignon Blanc. Gisborne was too lush. Hawke’s Bay, too humid. Then came Marlborough. “It was brown. Dry. Sunlit. I thought, “Gotcha!”’

From trout to triumph

By 1985, Cloudy Bay was born; funded by a brutal million-dollar loan at 23.5 per cent interest. The decision was sealed after Hohnen’s brother’s business partner, Simon Fraser (of the Loch Ness Frasers), caught a trophy trout on a fishing trip in the area. “I always said Cloudy Bay owes it to a fish.”

They built the winery at speed, introduced a tilt-up slab technique that had never been used in New Zealand, and sent grapes north to Kevin Judd, the pioneering winemaker Hohnen had met at a wine show in Auckland. The 1985 vintage was blended with a little Riesling and Semillon, allowing it to age gracefully. “It worked,” says Hohnen says. “People still remember their first glass.”

Cloudy Bay wasn’t launched. It bolted onto the scene: “People thought we contrived the allocation. We didn’t. It was a runaway horse. I just sat firm in the saddle, held the reins, and tried to steer.” Demand constantly outpaced supply. “Probably never caught up in my time.”

Veuve Clicquot came calling. Under the stewardship of Joseph Henriot, and later Cécile Bonnefond, Cloudy Bay thrived. “They were smart. Understood wine. Understood brand. Let us get on with it.”

By 2000, Hohnen found himself Chairman and MD of both Cape Mentelle and Cloudy Bay. “Not my choice of title. For a country hick, it sat heavy. I decided to leave. Should’ve gone straight away. Instead, I stuck around for the handover — the worst mistake I ever made.”

He drifted, gloriously. Raised free-range pigs with real care, railing against their status as “the four-legged chooks of the world.” Then came the charcuterie, but done properly: low intervention, slow drying, clean, honest flavours.

The return

In 2022, Cloudy Bay called him back. They’d rebuilt the original winery as a visitor centre and named it the Founder’s Centre. “It was emotional. We’d parted well, and we’re friends again now.”

He had one last idea: enter Marlborough Heartland – a new label, made in collaboration with Rupert Clevely (of Geronimo Inns) and the Marlborough Grape Growers Cooperative, a formidable alliance of 80 growers who usually make bulk wine.

“They do 16 million litres a year,” Hohnen says. “I said, let’s make something special. We picked eight vineyards on deep pebble soils in the central Wairau Valley – the black country. That’s where the best Sauvignon comes from. Ripe, not green. No tomato leaf. Just bright fruit, full palate, lovely tingle. For just over a tenner, it speaks.”

His daughter, Freya — top of her class, a seasoned winemaker, and mother of two — is on the blending bench. “She does the high notes. I do the low. You’ve got to have both.”

A sense of place

What’s in the name? Like Cape Mentelle or Cloudy Bay, it’s geographical. “Some said ‘Cloudy’ sounded like cloudy wine. They were wrong. Place matters. It grounds you.”

Today, the second vintage of Marlborough Heartland is sailing towards England. Sainsbury’s has backed it. The supermarket’s wine agency partner, Watermill Wines, helped secure the listing. “They’ve got the buyers. We’ve got the story.”

And what a story. Cloudy Bay went on to become the world’s best-known white wine. No fuss, no spin, just magnetic Marlborough Sauvignon bottled by a man who listened when the land spoke.

Says Hohnen: “I’ve never had anything from New Zealand. But that’s because I’m Australian. Not sure they like to admit an Aussie created their most famous wine. Doesn’t matter. I’m just happy to be back.”

What’s next? “I don’t look back. I’ve made mistakes, sure. But winemaking is a privilege. You meet good people — real people — farmers whose wealth comes from the earth. Not suits.”

If he could share a bottle with anyone? “It’d be family. Always family. Someone once said, “Without family, you’d have to fight with strangers!” We’ve done pretty well.”

So ends this chapter, with the vines back under his feet and the Marlborough sun on his face. David Hohnen, still steering the horse. Still making the wine speak…

Gold Medal Winners from the New Zealand International Wine Show October 2024

The Results from the 2024 New Zealand International Wine Show are here.Hosted by Wayne Kennedy, Murray Jaspers and Michael Kuus

Wednesday 9th April, 8 pm Start

Door Price: Members $16 / Guests $20

Immediately after the Gold Medal Winners from the New Zealand International Wine Show were announced last October, your club set out to acquire three bottles of seven gold medal wines for us to taste this month. April was chosen to do this as that is a time of the year when the wine industry is busy with harvest, and thus many wineries are unavailable to present to us.

The beauty of doing this immediately that the announcements were made were two-fold. It meant that the wines were still available and more importantly it also gave us an opportunity to secure seven trophy wines, including the McArthur Ridge Southern Tor Pinot Noir which was the Champion wine of the Show.

Many of these wines are hard to come by now, so we are fortunate that your committee acted so quickly. All that remains is for you to attend and enjoy a great trophy tasting.

Please remember your tasting glasses

The wines we will be tasting are:

  • 2024 Leftfield Pinot Gris, Marlborough
  • 2024 Wairau River Estate Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough
  • 2024 Sileni Advocate Grand Reserve Albarino, Hawkes Bay
  • 2023 Bladen Eight Rows Riesling, Marlborough
  • 2022 Kirrihill Regional Series Clare Valley Shiraz, South Australia
  • 2021 Church Road McDonald Series Merlot, Hawkes Bay
  • 2023 McArthur Ridge Southern Tor Pinot Noir

Tasting – Mission Wines, Hawkes Bay w/Tammy Edwards

A heritage like no other – Mission Estate Winery
Wednesday 12th March, 8pm
Door Price: Members $6 / Guests $10

Reaching NZ shores in 1838, pioneering French missionaries founded a legacy. From their many accomplishments now interwoven throughout history came New Zealand’s first winery, Mission , in 1851. Their inspiration, a legacy, continues.

Today their vineyards span two of NZ’s best winegrowing regions; Hawkes Bay and Marlborough. Hawkes Bay vineyards in the Gimblett Gravels and Taradale focus on Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah; but also include small clocks of other varietals such as Semillon and Cabernet Franc.

Whereas, their Marlborough properties, perfect for producing cool climate wine styles, grow Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris.

Mission Estate Winery established in 1851 by pioneering French Missionaries is New Zealand’s oldest winery and the birthplace of New Zealand wine.
Mission Estate Winery established in 1851 by pioneering French Missionaries is New Zealand’s oldest winery and the birthplace of New Zealand wine.

Paul Mooney, our passionate winemaker since 1979, was trained by the Marist Brothers themselves, Paul imparts the very essence of Mission’s French heritage winemaking philosophy into both our Hawke’s Bay and Marlborough wines.

We consider ourselves guardians of our heritage and our land, and for more than 20 years we have been proud to be a founding member of Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand. In 1998, we were also one of the first wineries in New Zealand to be certified with the internationally recognised environmental management system ISO 14001.

We start with 2024 Mission Estate Rosé as our conversation/entry tasting followed by:

  • 2023 The Gaia Project Pinot Gris
  • 2024 Mission Estate
  • 2023 Reserve Chardonnay
  • 2019 Mission Reserve Cabernet Franc
  • 2020 Mission Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
  • 2023 Reserve Syrah

SPECIAL NOTE: The door prize on tasting night is going to be something a little special, namely a bottle of Lanvin Brut Champagne NV. Ticket prices for this will be $2 each.

Hawke’s Bay joins ther Great Wine Capitals network

 

A Quick Update: Hawke’s Bay has just become the latest area in the world to join the Great Wine Capitals – Global Network – A World of Excellence. Check it out!

Elephant Hill for sale: Another Hawke’s Bay winery on the market

Elephant Hill, a Hawke's Bay winery started by a German businessman in 2001, is up for sale, including its lodge, vineyards, winery and restaurant.
Elephant Hill, a Hawke's Bay winery started by a German businessman in 2001, is up for sale, including its lodge, vineyards, winery and restaurant.
Elephant Hill, a Hawke’s Bay winery started by a German businessman in 2001, is up for sale, including its lodge, vineyards, winery and restaurant.

From Jack Riddell, a multimedia journalist with Hawke’s Bay Today

Another Te Awanga winery is up for sale – with two of the area’s three vineyards now on the market – as Elephant Hill’s owner says it’s time to move on.

All of Elephant Hill Holdings Limited Group is on the market, which includes the owner’s lodge overlooking Cape Kidnappers, vineyards in Te Awanga and Gimblett Gravels, the winery, the cellar door, the restaurant, all physical assets and stock, the brand and an established distribution network both nationally and abroad.

But what chief executive Andreas Weiss says is the most important aspect of the sale is the team. “We are a small, high-performance team. I think we have the best people in their respective places.

You can’t find anyone better in Hawke’s Bay, and I’m very proud of that.”
Elephant Hill was founded by businessman Roger Weiss and his wife Reyden in 2001 after they “fell in love with New Zealand and a piece of land on the beautiful coast of Te Awanga”, which was at the time an abandoned venison farm. The winery was then opened in 2008.

“I think we were quite successful in building a brand with a very high reputation,” Andreas said.

“Everybody knows Elephant Hill because of the passion and of the investments that we did here.”

Roger died suddenly in 2016. Andreas, his son, had taken up the role of chief executive at the company a year earlier.

According to Andreas, the company is on the market because it is time for the family to move on.

“[My parents] created the dream; they created the vision of Elephant Hill. Since my father died, my mother, she comes over here more to cry than anything else because they built it together.”

Andreas said he hopes to find someone who shares the same vision and passion for wine and the land as his parents did. “It is, I think, breathtaking and mind-blowing sometimes. I mean, I am just looking out from my office looking at the Bay, and it’s just a beauty.”

Since then, the winery has closed and reopened its restaurant, and hosted marathons, mass dog walks, and countless wedding receptions and long lunches.

Elephant Hill is on the market at the same time as Te Awanga Estate’s coastal vineyard and cellar door/restaurant. Executive officer at Hawke’s Bay Winegrowers, Brent Limm, said the sales multiple of vineyards in the area is more of a coincidence than anything else.

“The Te Awanga area is an important subregion of Hawke’s Bay producing a wide range of high-quality wines with a distinctive sense of place.”

Elephant Hill and Te Awanga Estate’s neighbour Tim Turvey from Clearview Wines agrees, saying the subregion is still the most enviable area in Hawke’s Bay in which to grow wine, “especially chardonnay”, and the vineyards have the accolades to prove it.

At this year’s New Zealand International Wine Challenge, Clearview won a double gold for its Reserve Chardonnay 2021, while Te Awanga Estate’s won the trophy at London’s International Wine Competition for Best Red Wine of Show in 2015, and Elephant Hill’s 2019 Salome was awarded the highest score by respected UK-based Master of Wine Rebecca Gibb in her 2022 New
Zealand white wine report.

‘Brothers’ Launch Gisborne 2024 Albarino Wine

The Albarino Brothers – Ant Saunders, Ollie Powrie and Shaye Bird – have launched their Gisborne 2024 Albarino wine. Photo / Richard Brimer

Murray Robertson, Gisborne Herald | 11 Oct 24

The Albarino Brothers – Ant Saunders, Ollie Powrie and Shaye Bird – have launched their Gisborne 2024 Albarino wine. Photo / Richard Brimer
The Albarino Brothers – Ant Saunders, Ollie Powrie and Shaye Bird – have launched their Gisborne 2024 Albarino wine. Photo / Richard Brimer

The Albarino Brothers launched their Gisborne 2024 Albarino wine at a function in the city yesterday.

Ollie Powrie, Shaye Bird and Ant Saunders are three friends connected through wine. They are not at all related.

The men conceived what they describe as a “passion project”, a wine using 100% Gisborne-grown Albarino grapes. The 2024 version is a historic first for the trio.

“We’re all passionate about the quality and potential of the wine,” they said. “It’s a crisp, refreshing and tangy dry white wine that has already been described as the ‘it’ wine for this coming summer.”

A wine industry spokesman said the Albarino grape variety had an affinity to Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay regions – sharing characteristics with the variety’s native home in northwestern Spain and Portugal.

“The slightly warmer nights are perfect to tame the natural high acidity of the variety, and having evolved in a marine climate, the grape is very resistant to humidity and rain coming in from the ocean.”

Powrie said: ”All said and done, this means that Gisborne was an ideal place from which to source a world-class wine.”

Gisborne grapegrowers Doug and Delwyn Bell played a role in the development of the Albarino variety in New Zealand more than a decade ago.

The Albarino Brothers launch was held at Gisborne Tatapouri Sports Fishing Club.

Committee Musings July ’24

Membership

Membership is at the top of mind for your committee. We want to encourage all members to seek out new members and to help you do this, we are currently preparing a small handout for you to use when explaining who we are and what we do. This will not only highlight what a great value proposition we are, it will also mention our range of activities and promote our closeness to both the Johnsonville train line and the bus station.

Please remember to promote that as a bonus for potential members, our meetings are held in close proximity to both the Johnsonville Train Line and the bus station.

The committee is formulating a short pamphlet for anyone who wants one to hand out to explain our Club a little bit.

Thanks again

Thanks again to everyone who helps with the tables and chairs at the start of our evenings and taking the same down after the meeting. Also taking the tables contents, spittoons/water & jugs/cracker plates, back to the kitchen.

Looking Ahead

  • August – Wairaki, Hawkes Bay
  • September – Misty Cove, Blenheim
  • October – TBC

Spotted

Committee Musings May ’24

Winetopia

Happening again, 7-8 June at TSB Arena in Wellington: NZ’s Largest Wine Celebration | Winetopia Events 2024. Go into their website to purchase your tickets if you want to attend.

New Routine

It was great to have everyone help with the tables and chairs at the start of last months’ meeting and taking the same down after the meeting. Also taking the tables contents: spittoons/water jugs/cracker plates back to the kitchen. Could we please continue this new routine.

Reminder

We can’t arrive to do the setting up activities any earlier than 7:30pm as we interrupt the cleaner(s) schedule, the cleaners are in the hall until 7:30pm.

Looking ahead

Gold Medal Winners from the New Zealand International Wine Show October 2023, Apr ’24

Michelle Fraser from Clearview
Michelle Fraser from Clearview

What a brilliant evening! Organised by Wayne and hosted by Michelle Fraser from Clearview, a wine judge in her own right, plus with an extensive knowledge of viticulture and wine making.

Due to illness and holidays, we had only 27 attend the evening, but book your diaries for next year, as this may be repeated with next year’s Gold Medal Winners!

Michelle filled the evening with knowledgeable tips about the different growing regimes, different classes of grapes, the different way grapes are treated/processed, i.e. in stainless steel or oak barrels, skins in or out; plus her sayings that kept us laughing:

  • ABC – Anything But Chardonnay
  • Pinot Gris – Puma wine, younger girls juice
  • Chardonnay – Cougar wine, older women’s juice
  • Gewurztraminer – how to says this: Girls Get Meaner

She gave us updates on what some of the bigger personalities in the Hawkes Bay area are now doing, with Gordon Russell now in retirement, until he decides what his next project will be. However, his daughters are now up and running through their new brand Three Fates.

This was an evening that was full of surprises, and to those of you who couldn’t make it, the below wines that we tasted are available from New World, The Good Wine Company, and other NZ locations.

  • Lindauer Special Reserve Rose NV -Gold Trophy from a female wine maker, Jan DeWitt.
  • 2023 Giesen Estate Riesling – Double Gold Trophy For Champion Riesling
  • 2022 Leefield Station Gewurztraminer -Double Gold Trophy for Champion Gertz this is owned by the same family who own NED wines.
  • 2022 Brancott Estate Letter Series O Chardonnay – Double Gold Trophy for Champion Chardonnay + Champion Wine of the Show again a female wine maker, Laura Kate Morgan
  • 2021 Daisy Rock Reserve Pinot Noir – Gold Medal
  • 2021 Esk Valley Artisanal Hawkes Bay Malbec Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon – Gold Medal sadly Esk Valley is now more, so snap up this one if you like Bordeaux style wines.

Gold Medal Winners from the New Zealand International Wine Show Oct ’23

Hosted by Michelle Fraser, Clearview Sales Manager and occasional Wine Judge

Wednesday 10th April, 8 pm Start
Door Price: Members $14 / Guests $18

Please remember your tasting glasses
Please remember your tasting glasses

Immediately after the Gold Medal Winners from the New Zealand International Wine Show were announced last October, your club set out to acquire 3 bottles of 7 gold medal wines for us to taste
this month. April was chosen to do this as that is a time of the year when the wine industry is busy with harvest and thus many wineries are unavailable to present to us.

The beauty of doing this immediately that the announcements were made were two-fold. It meant that the wines were still available and more importantly it also gave us an opportunity to secure 5 that were trophy wines, one of which was also the overall Champion Wine of the Show.

And to help us present these wonderful wines to you all, we have invited Clearview Sales Manager, Michelle Fraser back to help us. You may recall that last year she mentioned that she has been a wine judge but she also comes with an extensive knowledge of viticulture and wine making, so is well placed to provide background and her take on each of our wines that we will be tasting.

The wines we will be tasting are:

  • Lindauer Special Reserve Rose NV – Gold & Trophy for Champion NZ Sparkling Wine
  • 2023 Giesen Estate Riesling – Double Gold & Trophy For Champion Riesling
  • 2022 Leefield Station Gewurztraminer -Double Gold & Trophy for Champion Gewurztraminer
  • 2022 Brancott Estate Letter Series O Chardonnay – Double Gold, Trophy for Champion Chardonnay plus Champion Wine of the Show
  • 2021 Daisy Rock Reserve Pinot Noir – Gold Medal
  • 2021 Esk Valley Artisanal Hawkes Bay Malbec Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon – Gold Medal
  • 2021 Trinity Hill Hawkes Bay Syrah – Double Gold, Trophy for Champion Syrah, Trophy for Champion Syrah & Predominant Blends & Trophy for Champion Commercial Red Wine

Fistonich Family Vineyards – The Resurrection of Sir George

GlengarryIssue 290 pg. 44

A name synonymous with leadership in wine, Sir George Fistonich
A name synonymous with leadership in wine, Sir George Fistonich

A name synonymous with leadership in wine, Sir George Fistonich has a history of success but has always operated with an eye on the future. In 2021, not content with retirement, Sir George embarked on a new venture: Fistonich Family Vineyards, fuelled by his passion for viticulture, winemaking, developing future talents and creating world-class brands.

Today, Fistonich Family Vineyards owns incredible vineyards across Hawkes Bay and Marlborough, including Cornerstone in the Gimblett Gravels and Ballochdale in the Awatere Valley. And on the horizon, Sir George is poised to unveil his flagship winery brand, crafted from his cherished Terraced vineyard site in Bayview, Hawkes Bay. It is a significant site for the New Zealand wine industry that Sir George himself meticulously planted over three decades ago.

Chief Winemaker Michelle Richardson is known for her extraordinary ability to translate the essence of a country, region, vineyard, or even a single row into the vibrant expressions in the wines she crafts. What is truly exciting for the New Zealand and Hawkes Bay wine scene is the winery restaurant and cellar door that will come in 2024. Envision sunlit patios stretching before you, overlooking terraced vineyards and the South Pacific Ocean.

As Fistonich Family Vineyards begins to build a diverse wine portfolio, the initial offerings are dedicated to providing a joyful and delicious range of crowd-pleasing wines. Among the first wines to be released are the Obliix and Forest Flower Collection wines.

As October rolls around, watch this space as Sir George unveils his flagship winery brand. This is an exciting new chapter in the legacy of Sir George Fistonich and his visionary contributions to the world of wine. As soon as the wines are ready in October, you’ll be the first to know and we’ll have them right here at Glengarry.

Also see Čuvar Winery.

Clearview Wines, presented by Tim Turvey – Sept 2023

Wednesday 13th September, 8 pm Start | Door Price: Members $10 / Guests $14

Clearview Estate has grown and owner-operated since 1986: Tim Turvey & Helma van den Berg.

TIM TURVEY & HELMA van den BERG
TIM TURVEY & HELMA van den BERG

Purchased in 1986, the neglected but historic Vidal’s No.2 Vineyard at Te Awanga, Hawke’s Bay, was set to become Clearview Estate. Tim Turvey, with business partner Helma van den Berg, took on the challenge of bringing it back to life. Together, they hand-grafted and planted the first vines in the winter of 1988. Clearview Estate Winery Ltd was established for the first red wine vintage in 1989, following experimentation in prior years. Chardonnay began in 1991 with the release of the first Reserve Chardonnay.

Over the next several years, Tim and Helma planted thousands of trees, including avocado, olive, bay, citrus, gums, and melia. And they didn’t stop there. Together, they expanded the vineyard by three acres each year, grafting and planting vines, ramming posts, running wires, training young vines, and, for many years, completing all of the pruning themselves.

Today, the business proudly remains owner-operated. Tim oversees the vineyards and works with chief winemaker Matt Kirby and assistant winemaker Rob Bregmen to create legendary, much-awarded wines. Helma manages the finance, restaurant, gardens and her extraordinary team. Steeped in history, Clearview Estate Winery Cellar Door and Clearview Estate Restaurant have become an iconic and awarded destinations for both locals and visitors from afar.

194 Clifton Road, Te Awanga, Hastings, Hawke’s Bay.

Wines for our evening:

  • 2021 Clearview Sparkling Blush arrival wine
  • 2023 Clearview Coastal Pinot Gris
  • 2022 Clearview White Caps Chardonnay
  • 2020 Clearview Reserve Semillon
  • 2021 Clearview Martinborough Pinot Noir
  • 2021 Clearview Cape Kidnappers Syrah
  • Clearview Sea Red Dessert Wine [500ml]