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Frank Yukich placing a silver coin in the hole as the traditional token of good fortune for the new vine. Photo Credit: Marlborough Heritage Trust - Marlborough Archives.
Wine journalist Tessa Nicholson has spent more than 25 years writing about Marlborough's wine industry, crafting countless stories about the people, places, innovations and challenges that have made the region famous.
Now, to mark 50 years since Montana planted the first commercial vines in Marlborough, she has written a book to share the travails and triumphs of the industry.
Fifty Years, Fifty Stories; Marlborough the region that turned the wine world upside down, covers everything from those first plantings to the impacts of Covid nearly half a century later, including profiles of some of the region's pluckiest pioneers.
Tessa says the past 50 years of stellar success has been driven by those pioneers, including audacious entrepreneurs, resilient growers and curious scientists, all part of a collegial community happy to share its knowledge and innovations.
It's also been driven by the pure good fortune of having a geography, geology and climate that grows incredible wines, including attention grabbing Sauvignon Blanc that propelled Marlborough onto the global wine stage.
New Zealand's wine industry has undergone a significant shift over the past few decades, with increasing numbers of talented women found throughout vineyards and wineries. In celebration of International Women's Day on 8 March, Emma Jenkins MW speaks to five inspiring winemakers who have helped pave the way, thanks to perserverance, passion, and some of New Zealand's best wines.
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