Misha Wilkinson grew up with the Australian Opera, sitting in her mother’s dressing room, or poised at the edge of the curtain as Gloria McDonall performed.

Not a day goes by that Awatere Valley grape grower Andy Peter doesn’t think fondly of his father, who firmly believed in succession.

“We have an expression that unless you have dirt under your fingernails, you’ll never know how to grow a vine,” says James Millton from his eponymous Gisborne vineyard. 

Succession plans are all very good and well, but it's important that people are the "right fit" when it comes to taking on responsibilities, says Jane Hunter.

Christine and Dave Macdonald admit it was a romantic whim to name Bladen for their children Blair and Deni.

Sam and Mandy Weaver always hoped their sons Jack and Ben would join them at Churton.

Succession is one of the biggest challenges faced by family businesses, including those in wine, says WK Business Advisor Hamish Morrow. “Often, starting the conversation is the hardest aspect.”

Pull the thread of family succession at Rippon, and you’ll find yourself at Wānaka Station in 1912, with its new owner Percy Sargood. Follow it even further, to 1895, and you’ll find the enterprising Dunedin merchant at a seminar given by viticulturist Romeo Bragato, perhaps seeding the idea of wine in the arid climes of Central Otago.

Arabella Waghorn once felt awkward about joining the family business in Marlborough, suspecting people would consider her a “spoilt brat”.

Sustainability measures have become part of the WineWorks culture, says Anthony Barnes, in a series celebrating Sustainability Guardians.