In April 1983 a dedicated group of Marlborough vintners and associates, gathered amongst the vines to toast the 100th truck and trailer load of the 1983 Chenin Blanc crop sent from Blenheim to Gisborne.
The five men photographed that day, are still involved in the now booming Marlborough wine industry today, and recently gathered for a reconstruction of the event, representing a total accumulation of over 90 years experience between them. They were each asked the same questions: their respective roles then and now, the most significant change in the industry, the best and worst development, and their personal views for the future of the wine industry in Marlborough.
Peter Masters, vineyard manager for Corbans Wines in 1983, left Corbans in 1996 taking up vineyard development for a private individual, developing a 300 acre vineyard in the lower Waihopai Valley, which now trades under the Spy Valley Wines label. Arriving in Marlborough in 1980 when there were very few acres in grapes, he described the expansion as "absolutely colossal". He feels the best development has been the revelation of how the Sauvignon has exploded throughout the world both in popularity and consumption. "The saddest thing I have seen however has been the sale of Corbans Wines to Montana and the closure of their winery on the Jackson Rd/Rapaura Rd site - the closing and gutting by Montana Wines."
The future he feels is great, but some expansion is now into marginal areas and he has strong recollections of the devastating floods of 1983, the frosts of 1990 and the drought of 2000. "I hope they have everything covered - the area is expanding, the tonnage is expanding and I hope everyone's done the sums because it's got to be sold somewhere," he said.
Jim Greer, with Corbans since 1980, was a foreman in 1983, went contracting for himself in 1994, and now runs 350 acres of grapes with machinery contracting and gear. He too feels the development and growth in Sauvignon is the most significant change, together with both increased yields and quality. He feels there is no single best or worst development - it's all been positive. "However the pull out was probably the better one, basically because it made people think more about planting and which varieties. In the early days we made mistakes, people put in things without thinking what they were planting, and that's what changed the industry."
"As long as we keep our quality standard up, keeping the quality name, I think the future is very positive. As long as we don't get people jumping on the bandwagon like we did in the 1980's and just not thinking far enough ahead in what they are doing."
Allan Scott, viticulturist for Corbans in 1983 is now general manager of his own wine company, operational for 10 years producing premium New Zealand wine for the domestic and export markets. The proliferation of vineyards is the biggest change he sees in a positive sense, but expressed the view that some growth may not be being done with good intent or purpose. "The vagaries of nature are that you have to have a planned end for it all. The grapes have to be processed and then finally a sales destination. I think the expectation of export is far greater than reality so it hasn't been planned properly and so in the long term it may have a peculiar effect on the market."
Allan believes that the way the town and region has got behind the grape industry has been the best development. Putting Marlborough and Blenheim on the world map and providing employment. "And not only in the wine industry but a lot of peripheral industries attached to it, that's one of the greatest benefits."
Concern was expressed that in recent times vineyards and wineries are seen as an affluent way of life and a different lifestyle. "There is a generation, an older generation perhaps that are not really getting a slice of the action that are now throwing barbed wire at the industry in general. I think it's one of the bad aspects of it and I don't know whose fault it is to be honest, but it is worrying and gaining momentum. Chopping down trees and all these sorts of things have become an issue."
Despite this Allan feels the future is very, very positive, as long as it is planned. "We are a company that can't afford to have progress without planning. We have been planting grapes, but I've always been planning it with our market in mind and we have researched and spent quite a bit of time on the road making sure that we've got them. I think that's what everyone has to do, and the future is there if everyone does their bit."
Jerome Waldron, foreman at Moorlands vineyard in 1983 is now a contract grape grower on 45 acres on Rapaura Road for Villa Maria. Of significant change for him is the greater drive towards a quality product with more emphasis on quality than yields, and a greater recognition for the work that growers actually do in the vineyard.
Jerome commented that the speed of development sometimes took his breath away and how in his last 20 years in the industry he has seen a lot of humps and hollows - and where there is a hump, there is a hollow. But as long as wineries and grape growers maintain a discipline and continue to strive for a quality product he thinks the future is great for everyone. "Probably the exciting thing for me as a grower is the fact that growers and wineries work together. We have a very good relationship with Villa Maria, we need each other and we work together. 15-20 years ago it was more a buyers and sellers situation."
Dennis McKinley stood in for Neil Reid. Dennis, an area rep for Marlborough Transport co-ordinated the grape cart in 1983, and is now the branch manager for TNL Freighting, the amalgamated group of companies that Marlborough Transport was a part of.
In 1983 they carted around 12 tonnes of mostly the Mueller variety. In the 2001 vintage, described as a good vintage and certainly the best to date, they carted in excess of 21,000 tonnes. "In 1983 we had three clients - in one 24 hour period in the 2001 vintage we went to 24 different vineyards and carried for 14 different wineries, those are the changes and we have just grown with it."
