Are you of legal drinking age in your country of residence?
Are you of legal drinking age in your country of residence?
The great stories and people that make up the New Zealand wine industry.
Rowan Hoskins has found his niche in Wairarapa-based viticulture. He got started in the wine industry when he found himself at somewhat of a loose end and his father – distinguished viticulturist Nick Hoskins – suggested he try his hand at winter pruning. “I did a season and never left,” says Rowan.
Michael was only 12 when he decided he would become a winemaker, carrying on the legacy of his family’s West Auckland vineyard and winery. “I think mum sat me down and said, ‘look you have everything here’,” Michael says more than 50 years on, having forged an extraordinary global reputation for Kumeu River Wines.
A self-confessed “nerd” with a penchant for policy and a passion for sociology has been recognised for his commitment to New Zealand’s wine industry.
When Nick Hoskins took up an apprenticeship with the Wellington Parks Department aged 17, he was simply keen on a job outdoors. But that foray into nursery production, botanic gardens, and sports field maintenance proved fortuitous for New Zealand’s wine industry.
Nigel Tibbits was 16 years old when he accepted a job with Maté Brajkovich at San Marino Vineyards. Fifty years on, Kumeu River’s Cellar Master is part of the fabric of the iconic, historic, and family-owned West Auckland wine company.
Chris Scott was driven by boredom when he picked up his dad’s copy of the Cuisine New Zealand Wine Annual in the 1990s. “I got the bug almost instantly,” says Church Road’s head winemaker 30 years later.
Offering work-based training opportunities at its vineyards and wineries is key to attracting more people to work in the viticulture industry, according to Aotearoa’s largest grower and producer of New Zealand wine, Indevin Group.
Karen McLeod wears many hats. Even she admits it’s hard to define her current role, because she’s often doing several at once – and that changes depending on the time of year.
