New Vintage: New Zealand's top young winemaker

Such childhood memories have come to the fore since he took the title of 2021 Tonnellerie de Mercurey Young Winemaker of the Year in June, having been asked time and again what drew him to a career in wine. “It’s taken me a while to figure out that was more of a connection than I realised,” says Ben from Palliser Estate, 20 minutes down the road from the vineyard his grandparents managed when he was small.

“I think subconsciously I probably owe a lot of interest and passion to those early experiences; out planting or being around grapevines being planted by my grandfather and my uncles.” But wine wasn’t part of the plan at high school, with his eyes on the prize of being a pilot. When those eyes – colour blind as it turned out - foiled that plan, Ben went on to study psychology at Victoria University.

It wasn’t until a family trip to the west coast of the United States in 2012, in the final leg of his bachelor’s degree, that the wine industry struck a chord. He was drawn in by the wine and culture of Napa Valley and Oregon, finding passion and interest, “and that perfect balance of craft and science”.

In 2013 Ben took up an online Bachelor of Viticulture and Wine Science at EIT, and “international travel and wine came together for me”, he says. With a Wairarapa harvest under his belt, he set off for the first of three Oregon vintages, doing back-to-back harvests with New Zealand, before settling into Wairarapa winemaking six years ago, to follow “the full lifecycle of wine”.

It’s an easy industry to be passionate about, says the country’s top young winemaker, calling the work “incredibly interesting” and some aspects nigh on obsessive. “I am pretty electric about chardonnay,” he admits. “I could leave most things, but I don’t think I could leave Chardonnay.”

He got to wax lyrical on that subject at the national final in Central Otago, where his speech topic focussed on the “incredibly transparent” variety. “It’s where you see so much of your work and that offers so much learning potential and opportunity to reflect,” he says. “When people reflect on a wine you have a hand in, they can see all of your contribution. Rightly or wrongly, brilliant or not, you get to have feedback, so it’s continual learning.”

He’s also passionate about exploring new world winemaking with respect to tradition, which intrigued him in Oregon and has influenced him throughout his winemaking, “building on tradition layers with new world approaches”.

Ben is also grateful for the influence the Wairarapa has had on his career, perhaps from those sweet grape skins chewed as a child, through to the wine companies that have nurtured his skills. “It took a village to raise me,” he explains. “I have worked for five local producers, and they have all helped me in some way, or taught me something invaluable.”

He now hopes to be part of the village helping new winemakers emerge. But while he loves the wines and the landscape of Wairarapa (“an absolute playground really”) he also knows he will have to move beyond that boutique corner of the wine world to grow his learning. “I still want to be a part of New Zealand wine, but I am open to other regions.”

The Young Winemaker competition is an “amazing opportunity”, says Ben, who first won the North Island Tonnellerie de Mercurey Young Winemaker of the Year Competition in 2020, while with Matahiwi Estate, going on to compete in the national final. He then won the North Island title again in 2021, while at Palliser Estate. He and the two other regional winners Peter Russell (Marlborough) and Jordan Moores (Central Otago) studied through several Covid-caused postponements before finally competing at Amisfield winery in June. “I was just thrilled each time it was postponed; they didn’t say it was cancelled,” he says.

Ben McNab

The event undoubtedly makes better winemakers, he adds. “It doesn’t only build your personal growth; it’s also professional growth. I couldn’t stress that enough, actually.” Comparing his current knowledge and understanding to that of three years ago is evidence of that growth, he explains. “It’s the detail that you understand far more; it’s the technical element of winemaking that you read into; it’s knowing things like the labelling guide and winemaking practices off the back of your hand.”

He is grateful to the naming sponsor Tonnellerie de Mercurey and all the people who support, organise or host the competitions. “It’s very humbling that people invest the time and energy to bring these events together.”

Ben has no plans to slow his learning, nor the exploration intrinsic to his work. “It’s really hard to be original in winemaking,” he says, noting the myriad of creative people in the industry here and around the world. “So often when you think of an idea, someone has already built a history of that same concept.” But he loves a challenge, he continues. “A challenge to be original, but also have a real respect of the traditions.”