Meet The Makers

Craig Carter - Head Viticulturalist Mt Difficulty

Born and bred in the deep south, Craig has always been a man of the land, and has been working with grapes in the Central Otago region for well over 20 years.  Craig is extremely passionate about r...

Martin Bell - Assistant Winemaker at Te Kairanga

Martin Bell is our Assistant Winemaker at Te Kairanga. Since graduating with a Master of Science and PGDip Wine Science, Martin has worked at both large and small wineries in New Zealand and bring...

Stu Marfell – Group Chief Winemaker

Stu Marfell is our Group Chief Winemaker.Born and raised in the Awatere, as a child Stu witnessed an exciting transformation from a quiet pastoral farming region to celebrated grape growing appella...

Greg Lane - Chief Winemaker at Mt Difficulty

Greg Lane is our Chief Winemaker at Mt Difficulty.  A South Australian local, Greg grew up surrounded by wine culture from day dot and earned a Bachelor of Oenology from the University of Adelaide ...

John Kavanagh – Chief Winemaker at Te Kairanga

John Kavanagh is our Chief Winemaker at Te Kairanga. John moved to Martinborough specifically for Pinot Noir, and became the Chief Winemaker at Te Kairanga in 2012. A graduate of Lincoln University...

Tom Turner – Winemaker at Martinborough Vineyard

Tom Turner is our Winemaker at Martinborough Vineyard.  Originally from North Canterbury, Tom’s interest in wine took hold when his family planted a small vineyard. Since 2012 he has worked across ...

Rachel Hall – Head Distiller at Lighthouse Gin

Rachel Hall is Head Distiller at Lighthouse Gin. Though she grew up in a pub, it was actually juice that led her to gin. Taking a part-time sales job at an apple juice company she was intrigued to ...

Esmé Holdsworth – Winemaker at Grove Mill

  Esmé Holdsworth is our Winemaker at Grove Mill. Born and raised in beautiful Nelson, Esmé’s passion for wine originally sparked from her love for artisan food after spending her summers at school...

Susan Van Der Pol – Winemaker at Vavasour

Susan Van Der Pol is our Winemaker at Vavasour. Susan was raised in Blenheim, the centre of Marlborough’s wine industry. In 2002, she was awarded a diploma in Viticulture & Wine Production fro...

Elliot Borren - Assistant Winemaker at Mt Difficulty

Elliot is our Assistant Winemaker at Mt Difficulty. Elliot has a load of experience since graduating from the Lincoln Winemaking course, most recently working as Assistant Winemaker at Matt Connell...

Victoria Knotts - Assistant Winemaker at Grove Mill

Victoria Knotts is our Assistant Winemaker at Grove Mill. Victoria has always enjoyed aroma chemistry. Originally on the path to becoming a perfumist, a family holiday to New Zealand changed the co...

Ellie Hobbs - Assistant Winemaker at Vavasour

Ellie is Assistant Winemaker at Vavasour wines.  Ellie’s passion for science and travel led her to pursue a Bachelor of Viticulture and Oenology (2018), and she gained valuable experience working h...

Mat Duncan – Marlborough Viticulture Manager

  Mat Duncan is our Marlborough Viticulture Manager Raised on an orchard with grapes, avocados and kiwifruit in Northern Hawkes Bay, a fortuitous move in 1994 lead Mat’s family to Marlborough to ma...

Dave Shepherd – Head Viticulturist in Martinborough

Dave Shepherd is Head Viticulturist in Martinborough. Great wines start in the vineyard. From The Terrace to Ruatukopuna, Dave is focused on the seasonal variation within each vineyard. “My perfec...