Vintage 2024: Marlborough
"I'm just kind of pinching myself that the weather is so good," says Pernod Ricard's New Zealand Group Winemaker Jamie Marfell, as he approaches what will likely be his first Easter off in 34 years.
That is about to change, with the building of a bespoke winery cum cellar door underway. Due to open early in 2017, the development is a sign of the faith the directors have in the future of Marlborough wine and wine tourism.
Set on Jackson's Road, just a matter of 1.5 km from the airport and on the road to other iconic wineries, it is expected the new facility will be a major tourist attraction.
"Tourism numbers in Marlborough are up by about 20 percent," Director John Benton says, "and our investing in this facility is a sign of our faith in this area as well as faith in the wine industry itself."
Ensuring that the building is a tourist destination, the company has no intention of looking like your average winery. In fact there will not be a tank in sight, given everything will be under cover. Describing the design as collision architecture, Jeff Hart says it is a case of old meeting new.
"The cellar door will look like an 1850s bush hut, with the winery roof coming over the top." (See artist's impression below). "What we want to do is recreate the pioneering spirit of the Jackson family who established the label," Benton says.
Adding to that, the aim is to create a distinctive New Zealand feel, with the help of Brian Massey, who was the landscape designer for the Lord of the Rings trilogy and managed the development of Hobbiton. So expect some rather unusual landscaping highlights, Benton says.
As for the winery itself, it will focus on Pinot Noir and some top of the range Chardonnay. Up until now all Jackson Estate wines have been contract processed. But now is the time Hart says to concentrate on the on-going success of the company's Pinot Noir.
"Pinot has a great future in Marlborough and we want to shout out to the rest of the world about how good it is. We are also excited about having total control of the process of producing our Pinot."
The 250 tonne winery will definitely fall within the boutique arena, especially given it will house only 50, seven tonne tanks. The company's Sauvignon Blanc will continue to be processed off site.
In total Jackson Estate has 70 hectares of grapes, 40 in the Rapaura area and 30 in the Waihopai. All the latter is Pinot Noir.
And despite the continued growth of the Marlborough wine industry, this is the first custom built winery/cellar door to be developed in the region since Yealands Estate opened their facility back in 2008.
