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Sales of New Zealand wine have increased in the US – “a bright spot in an otherwise declining import sector”, the New Zealand Winegrowers industry body says.
The increase, for 2024, marks the sixteenth year in a row that retail sales of New Zealand wines within the US have gone up, the new report from alcohol sales analysts Impact Databank. And it comes on the heels of threats from US president Donald Trump to impose a 200 percent tariff on alcohol imported from European Union countries, amid unfolding international trade tensions.
New Zealand Winegrowers director Fabian Yukich told Morning Report it was promising news, amidst otherwise challenging conditions.
“That publication goes out to a lot of people who make decisions about buying New Zealand wine, so it’s pretty important … that we’re getting all this good news from the US right now, where things are otherwise a bit gloomy in other parts of the industry … people see it and they say, well we better order some more New Zealand wine,” Yukich said.
New Zealand is particularly known for the “flavours and aromas” of our sauvignon blank, he said.
“If you look at it from a global perspective, we are less than 2 percent of the world’s production – the trend at the moment is moving away from red wines and towards white wines, and it’s moving towards those more aromatic fresh white wines, so the trend is all in New Zealand’s favour.”
“So the wine’s that we make they are also very sustainably made, and we do take a lot of time to promote that around the world, and that is also in our favour because people do like to buy wines that are sustainably produced.”
Yukich said despite retail sales in the US increasing, retailers were being slow to restock New Zealand wine on their shelves, “and we are feeling that a little bit in New Zealand.”
“They’re unstocking – so that means less sales in the short term … less imports from New Zealand at the moment … but the outlook in the long term is good. Just about every other country’s sales at retail level are reducing, and wine in general is reducing – against that backdrop New Zealand wine is increasing … the long term picture is good.”
Picking has just begun for this season’s sauvignon blanc, but in the face of declining consumption in New Zealand and international, some growers in Marlborough have recently been advised to leave some of their crop unpicked.
“In the last three years we’ve had three massive crops, that Mother Nature has delivered – and this year’s no different to 2022 and 2023, where the vines are delivering a lot of grapes,” Yukich said.
“And the wine companies are saying ‘well look, we need to temper that against what is actually being exported out of the country’.
“It’s not great news for our growers… but the long term outlook is good.”
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
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.
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.
It’s that time again when we greet the new year with the world’s most wanted wines.
And kicking off this most anticipated series is that old French stalwart-cum-Kiwi icon, Sauvignon Blanc.
Fresh and vibrant with the capacity – if aged in oak or on lees – to be rich, textured and unctuous, although these expressions are rarer than their steelier counterparts.
This year’s list incorporates styles ranging from traditional Loire elegance to the New Zealand zingers that threw the Antipodean islands onto the world stage.
However, what’s interesting about this list is how virtually unchanged it is from last year’s with Louis-Benjamin – Didier Dagueneau’s Silex once more leading the pack.
Didier Dagueneau was himself a risk-taker and, after a career in motorcycle sidecar racing, he eventually brought his rebellious spirit to winemaking.
However, despite ruffling feathers up and down the Loire Valley, Dagueneau succeeded in revitalizing the region. After his fatal ultralight plane accident in 2008, Dagueneau’s children have continued his legacy, with the bottles now bearing his son Louis-Benjamin’s name.
Despite being the world’s most popular Sauvignon Blanc for a second year in a row, with an aggregated score of 93 points, the Silex has changed very little pricewise, dropping from last year’s $225 to this year’s $223, while ten years ago, it hovered around $115.
Number two is Marlborough‘s perennial Cloudy Bay, which took third place last year. Cloudy Bay was founded in 1985 by David Hohnen – who had already established Cape Mentelle Vineyards in Australia’s Margaret River – and successfully put New Zealand wine on the map.
With an aggregated score of 90 points, it’s clear since those heady days in the 80s, that Cloudy Bay has yet to fall out of fashion, while prices have remained remarkably benign. Last year, it was $33 and has dropped a dollar to this year’s $32. Ten years ago it was roughly $27, proving astonishingly stable despite the passing of a decade.
Third is the Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux, which took second place last year. One of the Médoc‘s most illustrious estates, Château Margaux is best known for its classic red blends, however, their whites still clearly hit the mark.
With an aggregated score of 94 points, it currently sits at $318, a minor drop from last year’s $328, although a marked increase from the $181 of ten years ago.
Number four is another from Louis-Benjamin – Didier Dagueneau, this time the Pur Sang. The name is a direct translation of “purebred” – which often refers to thoroughbred horses – the label depicts the famous Lascaux cave painting of a horse.
The name suggests excellence, and this is reflected in the critic score of 93 points. It occupies the same spot as it did last year, and near enough the same price, coming in at $146 versus last year’s $145, having crawled up from the $87 of a decade ago.
Number five was also on last year’s list in the exact same place, the Edmond Vatan Sancerre Clos la Neore. A small producer, Edmond Vatan is one of the most lauded producers in the Loire Valley, having built a reputation for making Sancerre that can age for decades.
However, with an aggregated score of 93 points, it also comes at a cost. A price tag of $367 makes it the second most expensive Savvy on this list, however, it’s still a marked come down from last year’s $455. Ten years ago, it sat at $101.
Six is the only American to make this list and the most expensive by several country miles. Last year it flew in at number seven, this year it’s clambered up a slot, absolutely no prizes for guessing what, it’s Screaming Eagle.
The luxury Californian winery based in Napa’s Oakville was first established in 1986 by former real estate agent Jean Phillips, who initially sold fruit to other Napa producers. However, after building a winery, 1992 saw the release of the first vintage of Screaming Eagle to rapturous praise – particularly from Robert Parker – firmly establishing cult status.
However, despite a 93 points critic score and the perennial waiting list, prices have dropped. Ten years ago, the wine stood at $3820 and last year it came in at $3955, however, this year it’s dropped to $3398 proving even the great eagle can’t escape a cost-of-living crisis.
Number seven is a Sancerre by Domaine Vacheron which didn’t feature on last year’s list. Another leading family-owned Loire producer, the estate is biodynamically run by third winemaking generation cousins, Jean-Laurent and Jean-Dominique.
Ten years ago, it came in at $24, today – with an aggregated critic score of 90 points – it rocks in at a still modest $38.
Eight is another Kiwi offering, the Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc, which has slid two places from last year’s list. The Marlborough winery is owned by Kevin Judd, whose previous stint as a winemaker for Cloudy Bay saw him rise to prominence. As well as an excellent winemaker, Judd is also an impressive vineyard photographer.
The wine itself has an aggregated critic score of 91 points, while its price has been resolutely consistent. Ten years ago it was $20, last year it was $23, while this year it’s dropped a dollar to $22.
Number nine is a final entry from Louis-Benjamin – Didier Dagueneau with their ‘Blanc etc.’ / ‘Blanc Fume de Pouilly’. The name somewhat convoluted by the wine previously being called ‘Blanc Fume de Pouilly’ until it was later renamed ‘Blanc etc.’
Having dropped one place from last year’s list, Blanc.etc has still retained an impressive score of 90 points, however, the price has seen various shifts. Ten years ago, the wine came in at $60, last year it was $97 and this year, it’s crept up to $104.
Lastly in this year’s most wanted Savvy B, is the Francois Cotat Sancerre Les Monts Damnés occupying the exact same spot as it did last year. Francois Cotat is known for producing a traditional style of Sancerre from its esteemed Monts Damnés vineyard. Today, the estate is run by cousins Pascal and Francois Cotat who have followed in their fathers’ – the original founders – footsteps.
With an aggregated score of 92 points, this sophisticated sav has remained fairly consistent pricewise. Ten years ago, it hovered around $44, and the in the last two years, the price has remained at a steady $80.
When it comes to the world’s most sought-after Sauvignon, there’s not just one thing people are looking for. Some people are searching for French, others Kiwi. Some are searching for bargains, others the most expensive wines they can think of. From traditional to tongue-tingling modern styles, Savvy B really does offer it all.
Wednesday 13th November, 8 pm Start Door Price: Members $20 / Guests $25
Discover the Art of Sparkling Wines: A Special Wine Tasting Event
EURO-FIZZ
Join us for an exquisite journey through some of the finest sparkling wines from around the world. Whether you are a seasoned connoisseur or a novice eager to explore, this curated selection promises to delight your palate and expand your appreciation for bubbly wines.
The Club can provide a flute for members, stressing one per member, but please feel free to bring your own if you wish for the evening.
Here’s what’s on our tasting list
Hunters Offshoot Pet-Nat Origin: Waihopai Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand
We kick off this sparkling adventure with the charming Hunters Offshoot Pet-Nat. Sourced from the picturesque Waihopai Valley, this wine is a true artisanal creation. With its natural fermentation process, it captures the essence of the lush Marlborough terroir. Expect vibrant bursts of fruit and a refreshing, slightly effervescent profile that sets the tone for an exciting tasting experience.
Louis Perdier Brut Excellence Origin: Languedoc, France
Next, we venture to the sun-kissed vineyards of Languedoc for the Louis Perdier Brut Excellence. Known for its elegant balance of fruit-forward flavours and crisp acidity, this Champagne-style sparkling wine is predominantly composed of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes. Its fine bubbles and hints of green apple and brioche make it a delightful choice for those who appreciate the classically refined sparkling wines of France.
Tempus Two Prosecco Origin: King Valley, NSW, Australia
From the King Valley in New South Wales, we bring you the Tempus Two Prosecco, crafted from the Glera grape. This refreshing sparkling wine charms with its light, fruity notes of pear and citrus, accompanied by a delicate floral aroma. A perfect aperitif, it pairs beautifully with antipasti or can be enjoyed on its own for a sunny afternoon.
Gancia Prosecco Origin: Trentino, Italy
We cross the globe to Italy’s Trentino region to sample the renowned Gancia Prosecco. Known for its crispness and elegance, Gancia Prosecco features a light, frothy mouthfeel with an array of flavour notes from ripe peaches to refreshing herbs. This wine is a testament to timeless Italian tradition in sparkling wine production—perfect for any celebration.
Maude Methode Traditionale NV Origin: Central Otago, New Zealand
Experience the careful craftsmanship of Maude Methode Traditionale NV from Central Otago, an area celebrated for its unique climate and soil, ideal for high-quality wine production. This traditional method sparkling wine offers complex layers of flavour, featuring stone fruits, nutty undertones, and a long, creamy finish, making it a standout selection for any true wine lover.
Champagne Lanvin Origin: Epernay, France
No sparkling wine tasting would be complete without the iconic Champagne. We proudly present Champagne Lanvin from the heart of Epernay. This exquisite bubbly epitomizes the elegance of true Champagne, characterised by fine bubbles, balanced acidity, and flavours that blend ripe fruit, floral notes, and a touch of minerality, making it a luxurious choice for any occasion.
Veuve du Vernay Brut Rose Origin: France
We conclude our tasting with the beautifully vibrant Veuve du Vernay Brut Rosé. This charming French sparkling wine features a delightful pink hue and lively notes of red berries, perfect for those looking for something fruity yet refreshing. The appealing aroma and taste will leave a lasting impression, making it an excellent way to end the tasting.
We look forward to seeing you Wednesday 13th November for a memorable evening.
What a brilliant evening! For those that couldn’t attend, you missed a good evening. We had 22 in attendance.
The evening’s presenter was Manu, Misty Cove’s South African born, and French trained Chief Winemaker. He spoke with us, answering questions and explaining why they use mainly Acacia wood barrels or rather ‘puncheons‘, which are smaller-sized barrels; as well as oak, and the effects of both woods on the various wines they make. These are imported from France and Italy. He explained how they do their harvest and where grapes come from, from the different plots they have and sometimes, where grapes they use come from outside of their district, i.e. Gisborne!
Emmanuel ‘Manu’ Bolliger
The wines are made to be on the slightly dry side, rather than the sweet side and were very interesting to taste, with sometimes surprising results.
Misty Cove has previously focused on the export market to date but have now begun focussing on the New Zealand market to introduce their wines to.
A reminder of the wines we tasted during the evening:
2022 Misty Cove Waihopai – this is their Rosé, this year the blend is Chardonnay/Pinot Noir, made with a slight fizz, and yes, it’s the champagne mixture! Their Rosé is not necessarily made with the same grapes every season.
2024 Misty Cove Estate Sauvignon Blanc – this was a surprise to non-white drinkers, whilst it smelt like a Sauv Blanc, it was smooth in the mouth!
2023 Misty Cove Estate Pinot Gris – this has 2% Gertz within in, and Manu said that over time this could get more dominant within the mixture.
2024 Misty Cove Landmark Albarino – a Spanish grape that it gaining in popularity, the grapes for this vintage come from the Gisborne area
2024 Misty Cove Landmark Riesling – again, 10 ton of grapes were brought from contract growers for this vintage, and while this wine is young it will get the kerosene people are used to with age
2022 Misty Cove Landmark Chardonnay – smooth and light in the mouth
2023 Misty Cove Estate Pinot Noir – this is their entry-level label, but with lots of fruit flavour in the mouth, this tipple was popular with those at the table.
Wednesday 11th September, 8 pm Start Door Price: Members $12 / Guests $16
This evening is to be presented by Misty Cove’s South African and French-trained Chief Winemaker, Emmanuel ‘Manu’ Bolliger. Manu’s philosophy is simple: get the grapes right and do very little in the winery. When he is not getting his hands dirty in the vineyard innovating their wine program with Acacia wood puncheons, working with new varietals or just getting all-round creative with new styles of wines – you’ll find Manu off the grid, hunting somewhere in the wilderness, or creating his own cheese, cured meats and olive oil at his piece of paradise in Rarangi.
Emmanuel ‘Manu’ Bolliger
Misty Cove isn’t your typical wine brand. Founded in 2008 by New Zealander Andrew Bailey, it’s a story of breaking conventions. Now led by a tight-knit crew team, who blend traditional winemaking with Kiwi ingenuity, crafting bold wines that defy expectations. With vineyards across Marlborough and New Zealand, their wines travel worldwide, embodying their motto, “Wine for Good Times.” They celebrate individuality, encouraging people to forge their own paths and share memorable moments over a glass of Misty Cove Wines.
Our wines for the evening are:
2022 Misty Cove Waihopai
2024 Misty Cove Estate Sauvignon Blanc
2023 Misty Cove Estate Pinot Gris
2024 Misty Cove Landmark Albarino
2024 Misty Cove Landmark Riesling
2022 Misty Cove Landmark Chardonnay
2023 Misty Cove Estate Pinot Noir
Misty Cove Wine Group Limited offers more than just quality wines. The company also boasts cellar door accommodation located in the heart of the Marlborough wine country, away from it all, while still being close to all the good stuff. The accommodation comes complete with a private pool, garden, barbecue facilities, free WIFI, and free private parking.
From the Misty Cove website
Ask any winemaker and they’ll tell you that the flavour and characteristics of a wine shouldn’t be overly influenced by the wood during fermentation. Instead, the wood is intended to support the wine – and merely add a little ‘spice’. It’s a balancing act between the flavours of the wood and the fruit.
Lately, a few winemakers have been questioning the dominating role that oak has played in winemaking. There is the view that by adding something to the wine – that ‘woodiness’ in oak – you’re merely masking or adding too much to the fruit and fermentation.
In walks acacia wood to the scene, who is now unquestionably the new player in town. Winemakers have discovered that judicious use of acacia barrels during production adds floral notes, improved texture and less of a “woody” taste. Thus, the appeal of acacia barrels lies not so much in the flavours they impart but rather the lack of flavours. Compared with oak, acacia’s contribution is mostly textural.
Firstly, it’s native to America and it was brought over to Europe in the 17th century. Its common name is Black Locust tree. And it’s actually a family of the legume, so it’s a legume. Acacia, which comes from forests in northern France, is sawed rather than split into saves, and is now used by a handful of wineries worldwide.
Borough Wines are all about giving back to the Community. Founded in 2020, when you buy Borough Wines all proceeds go to the Graeme Dingle Foundation to support child and youth development. All the grapes, winemaking, packaging and bottling have been donated by generous folks in the wine industry, so your dollars go further.
Today’s fast-paced technological change impacts on many levels within society; from education to employment, from communication to recreation. Our young people need to learn skills and strategies to develop into resilient people who can cope and thrive amongst this ongoing evolution and disruption. They need to learn how to work together, understand other perspectives, collaborate for mutual success, and how to bounce back from setbacks. The Graeme Dingle Foundation programmes support the development of these skills an values, so our youth are able to overcome the challenges they will inevitably face in life.
Borough’s 2023 Vintage Growers:
Rob Hammond, Longfield Marlborough
John Flanagan, Ben Glover, Mufaletta
The Palmers, Palmer Vineyard
The Weltons, Welton Vineyard Blenheim
Mark Taggart, Roses Vineyard
Ben McLauchlan, Rothay
James Jones, Starborough
Click into their website to see their supporters, among them Lion NZ, Wineworks Marlborough, Indevin NZ, Wither Hills, etc.
Ever wondered what happens to old vineyard posts when they are discarded?
Repost, a company based in Marlborough, has been repurposing vineyard fence posts for the past four years.
What started as a need to find a cost-effective way to source posts for 30km of stock fencing on Greg and Dansy Coppell’s 500-hectare sheep and beef breeding farm in Nelson Lakes has now turned into a thriving business.
The Coppells said their first thought was to find a quantity of discarded vineyard posts. Greg’s father Allan had been using them for decades on his farm.
They found a stockpile of posts at a Marlborough vineyard and after sorting over the pile, they returned, repurposing the broken posts into usable 1.8m and 1.6m half and quarter round posts. They transformed their farm into usable paddocks, maximising pasture and accommodating their various stock.
With the seed sown, Greg and Dansy were keen to make this work on a larger scale and thus began Repost.
While they drive the business development and partnership opportunities, their team now consists of Stu Dudley who has been in the viticulture industry for over 15 years and Liam Garlick who streamlines freight and logistics and day-to-day site operations; the glue that binds this operation together.
With thousands of tonnes of useful durable wood being put into landfills every year from the viticulture industry, and with the viticulture industry priding itself on being sustainable and always looking at ways to lower its environmental impact, repurposing their old posts was the way to go, they said.
Since its conception, Repost has stepped up to the next level and with a tick from WorkSafe and resource consent processes in place, they are now able to process on-site.
This has made their operation smarter and more productive, they said.
They have processed more than 600,000 posts in total since they started in business, with a gradual increase each year.
They are looking to process up to 400,000 alone in this coming year and in the long term, they are hoping to include added value products such as 5×2 battens that could be used for various uses, including by DoC for its walkways.
How Repost is supporting Cyclone Gabrielle relief efforts
Repost has a crew of four who are working in Hawke’s Bay, supporting the Cyclone Gabrielle relief efforts, along with the Hawke’s Bay Silt Recovery Taskforce.
Instead of the damaged vineyard posts being sent to Whangarei to be chipped, they are turning the posts into intermediate and strainer posts, which have been donated by the taskforce to rural communities up and down the East Coast including Otane, Pōrangahau, Pākōwhai, Esk Valley, Tutira and Wairoa.
They are working their way through some of the larger vineyards and orchards and expect to be in Hawke’s Bay for another 12 to 18 months.
### The good news
Repost says it is changing one of the viticulture industry’s largest waste issues while also introducing recycled low-cost posts for farmers. Repost has partnered with Mitre10 as a supplier of their posts.
Steve Brennan of The Green Circle shows how marc left over from winemaking will be made into biochar. PENNY WARDLE / MARLBOROUGH EXPRESS
The Green Circle, a Blenheim startup company, and Yealands Wine are piloting a method to convert grape waste into 80% pure carbon.
The resulting product, biochar, held up to four times its weight in moisture, provided a home for soil microbes, boosted the value of compost and fertiliser, and could be added to animal feed.
As part of last week’s Climate Action Week Marlborough programme, a demonstration at the Yealands plant near Seddon showed forestry wood-waste and grapevine stumps being fed into one end of a machine and biochar being spat out the other.
The biochar, a charcoal-like substance, was slightly damp from moisture added to reduce its temperature from as high as 1000C.
Brennan encourages people to see, touch and interact with the biochar product. PENNY WARDLE / MARLBOROUGH EXPRESS
The Green Circle founder and director Steve Brennan and chief executive David Savidan said the machine being used for the pilot would dry marc at Yealands this vintage.
Marc is the seeds, skins and stalks left behind when wine is made.
“As much as possible” would be converted to biochar using pyrolysis, which is the burning of organic material at super-hot temperatures with no oxygen.
The biggest challenge would be scaling up to use available waste, improve efficiency and make biochar affordable, Brennan said.
Depending on the size and moisture content of material being fed in, an average of 20 tonnes could be processed per day, Savidan later told the Marlborough Express.
This time next year, the company planned to have several machines with capacity to process 15,000 to 20,000 tonnes. These would be based at a site central to vineyards, ideally in Renwick or Riverlands.
Last year, about 393,865 tonnes of grapes were harvested in Marlborough, according to Marcus Pickens of Wine Marlborough.
About 20%, or almost 80,000 tonnes, of that volume was marc.
Brennan said the 6 million or so vine trunks that were removed from Marlborough vineyards each year and 40,000 to 50,000 tonnes of prunings could also undergo pyrolysis.
Wine companies could dig biochar back into vineyards to sequester carbon for a zero footprint, he suggested.
However, there was not yet New Zealand demand for high-carbon biochar, Savidan said. The Green Circle’s business plan included researching local benefits that would later be shared.
Yealands sustainability manager Andrée Piddington, right, talks about biochar benefits with, from left, Heather Turnbull, John Baldridge and Tracy Taylor. PENNY WARDLE / MARLBOROUGH EXPRESS
Yealands sustainability manager Andrée Piddington said the winemaker was keen for solutions because composting marc could cause leachate runoff.
Even if The Green Circle did nothing but dry marc, she would be happy, Piddington said. It could be stored with no risk of runoff and then sold as livestock feed.
Yealands was planning a trial in which biochar would be added to compost and then applied to soil.
Digging biochar into the ground to lock in carbon was appealing but not practical among the posts and wires of established vineyards, Piddington said. This could be possible as new areas were developed or old areas replaced.
Savidan said The Green Circle would charge clients to process their grape marc, at the cost of disposal. They could buy biochar at discounted rates.
Checking a handful of biochar are, from left, Nick Gerritsen, Gavin Beattie from Port Marlborough, and David Savidan of The Green Circle. PENNY WARDLE / MARLBOROUGH EXPRESS
The company was the sole New Zealand distributor of its pyrolysis machine, bought from an Australian manufacturer that planned to take the technology global, Savidan said. The Green Circle designed and owned the New Zealand-made drier.
The company was also talking with Marlborough forest and aquaculture companies, Savidan said. OneFortyOne was looking into transforming wood waste, while New Zealand King Salmon was considering turning dead fish into soil stimulants.
In June 2020, the Marlborough District Council, Massey University and the Ministry for the Environment analysed five options for repurposing grape marc.
In their report, biochar was said to deliver “far and away the best environmental outcome. Going down the biochar route means the industry potentially has the opportunity to offset the emissions from all other parts of the production and supply chain.”
Indevin founder Duncan McFarlane is thrilled the company is the official wine supplier of the New Zealand Olympic Committee. ANTHONY PHELPS / STUFF
Marlborough will be well-represented at this year’s Olympic Games in Paris, France.
Indevin Group has announced it will be the official wine supplier of the New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC).
Indevin will provide its Villa Maria wines at all NZOC events around the globe, including those hosted at New Zealand House in Paris during the Olympic Games.
Indevin was started by Marlborough man Duncan McFarlane in 2003. In 20 years, it has grown to become New Zealand’s largest wine company, with its 15 Valley winery – the company’s largest – at Cloudy Bay, south of Blenheim. Today, it is mostly owned by Blenheim’s Greg Tomlinson and his Tomlinson Group.
Indevin bought the Villa Maria brand, with its connections to Marlborough dating back to the 1980s, in 2021.
McFarlane, who plans to retire as chief executive of Indevin this year, said the company was thrilled with its partnership with the NZOC.
“This is the pinnacle event for New Zealand’s athletes and an opportunity for all New Zealanders to support the hard work and success of our team … we’re honoured to have Villa Maria contribute to the celebrations as our incredible athletes compete on the world stage.”
McFarlane said Indevin and the NZOC were the perfect pairing.
“We share NZOC’s ambition to deliver meaningful impact both within our own teams, and in the communities within which we live, work and play.
“As the official wine supplier of the NZOC, we look forward to raising a glass of Villa Maria to the success of New Zealand athletes and contributing to the vibrant spirit of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.”
Dressage rider Melissa Galloway and her horse Joey have been back home in Tuamarina for the past year. ANTHONY PHELPS / STUFF
One of those athletes could well be Tuamarina dressage rider Melissa Galloway, who had done “everything” she needed to reach the qualifying standard for this year’s Olympic Games.
NZOC chief executive Nicki Nicol said the NZOC was proud to welcome Indevin as an official supplier.
“We’re thrilled to be welcoming Indevin to our Olympic family at a really exciting time,” Nicol said.
“Indevin is known for excellence in winemaking, and at the NZOC, excellence is what we stand for, so there’s a really nice synergy between our brands and we look forward to promoting and showcasing their fantastic locally-made products.”
