Wednesday, 04 June 2025 14:25

Villa Maria’s Fairhall Winery Marks 25 Years in Marlborough Wine Industry

Written by  Staff Reporters
Photo Credit: New Zealand Winegrowers. Photo Credit: New Zealand Winegrowers.

Villa Maria’s Fairhall Winery in Marlborough celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, having been opened in 2000 by then-Prime Minister Helen Clark.

It’s nearly 10 years since the 7.8 magnitude 2016 Kaikōura earthquake saw an 80-metre crane on-site for five months and a new tank shed built to house the tank repairs.

With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, ‘Coachella’ was established at the winery, with a community of campervans onsite to accommodate the vintage crew, along with a temporary kitchen, laundry, showers and toilets.

These days the site, which has hosted musical acts like Dave Dobbyn, Bic Runga and Fat Freddy’s Drop, can process just under 20 million litres.

2021, Indevin purchased the Villa Maria brand, which celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2022.

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