Growing Legacy
Thirty-six years after Dave and Chris Macdonald followed a vineyard dream to Marlborough, and 28 years after they named a wine label for their children Blair and Deni, the family is devoted to Bladen, says Deni Hopkins
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.
