Huia Vineyards

With six hectares of planted vines in sunny Blenheim, a friendly, dedicated team and a large international reach, Huia Vineyards is an example of quality and sustainability going hand in hand. Leading the team at Huia, are Georges von der Decken, a seasoned viticulturist with a background in viticulture and oenology, and owner Tom Pegler, who offered us some interesting insights into winemaking, exporting, and sustainability.

Georges, who hails from Hamburg, Germany, joined the vineyard just a few months ago and brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to Huia. On the nearly nine-hectare property, supplemented by additional fruit sourced from around Marlborough, Huia processes approximately 300 tonnes of grapes annually – from these, 90% of the subsequent wine gets exported to overseas markets.

Georges explained how sustainability is a foundation of Huia Vineyards’ philosophy, whether their wine is sold domestically or internationally. “At Huia, we are certified organic, which means we don’t use any under-vine herbicides or synthetic chemicals. It is more hands-on. We work harder to produce maybe a little less fruit than what a conventional vineyard does,” he said. “For me, growing grapes organically is about passion. It is about doing the right thing and just trying to create a better product in the end.” The wine varietals cultivated include Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Riesling, and Pinot Gris, each benefiting from Marlborough’s unique climate and soil composition. Tom, who bought the vineyard nearly three years ago and recently rebranded Huia, added that the combination of warm days, cool nights, and well-draining soil gives distinct flavour profiles to the wines. Unlike many vineyards that produce wine under multiple labels, Huia remains dedicated to crafting wines exclusively under its own brand to try and maintain a strong focus on quality, he said.

Of the 90% exported, a signifi cant portion of Huia’s wine goes to markets in the United States and Europe. The remaining 10% is sold domestically or through Huia’s cellar door, a popular stop on Marlborough’s biking wine trails. This international reach has helped cement Huia’s reputation as a premium wine producer. However, balancing sustainability with exportation is not always easy, Tom told us.

“If you’re talking carbon footprint, the biggest impact is after the wine is made. The biggest carbon footprint is putting the wine in the bottle and getting it to the consumer.”

He explained that wine is rooted in tradition, and as an example, told us how there is still some resistance in some export markets to screw caps. “You have a lot of people in the northern hemisphere are still getting used to some Australasian wine having screw caps. It’s a necessary thing for us to have control over the quality of the wine because in the early 2000s, poor quality corks were available here. Changes in the cork industry mean this is no longer an issue. If we reduce our carbon footprint by using alternative packaging that has a lower carbon footprint or environmental impact, it can be quite challenging,” he said. “Also, if you’re moving away from glass, which is very heavy for the carbon footprint being made and also being transported, there are limited products that you can use. Glass is an effective oxygen barrier, so it’s great for preserving wine. For alternative packaging, the challenge we have is plastic or plant-based alternatives let oxygen in. So there is a trade-off there of less energy intensive or lightweight alternatives and preserving wine for more than a few months. That’s a real challenge for us as an industry.” Tom said the team at Huia are continuously looking for ways to maintain sustainability elements in their winemaking and growing processes.

The export market has been volatile the last few years, and Tom noted an increase in domestic sales recently. He said that the market is tough, as the economic situation in the U.S has been pretty similar to New Zealand. “I think that when COVID came, governments were terrified of what the economic effects would be, so they introduced all this extra spending to try to stimulate the economy, but now interest rates have shot up, and so has inflation, which has basically forced us into a recession,” Tom said.

Every business goes through cycles, and there are definitely some challenges at the moment. We are in a similar situation to other products out there; it is an increasingly complex world, and people have more choices. People can go into a laboratory and create a hard seltzer now, and while wine is a naturally made product, it has to compete with more in the market.”

This saturated market, combined with the global decline in alcohol consumption, has led the team at Huia to start thinking outside of the box and the vineyard is in the process of acquiring biodynamic certification.

Biodynamic farming goes beyond organic practices, focusing on holistic vineyard management that integrates natural cycles and biodiversity. This approach aligns with Huia’s long-term vision of working with nature to produce quality wine, and Tom and Georges hope that this will set Huia apart from its competition.

“Biodynamic practices are the philosophy of your work aligning more with soil and nature; essentially encouraging soil life and using what nature gives you,” Georges explained.

For Huia, the introduction of biodynamic farming means more focus on soil management, and building healthy, living soils through the use of compost and cover crops. Additionally, the team are also creating a functioning vineyard ecosystem through maintaining natural habitats for beneficial insects and wildlife.

The vineyard was planted 30 years ago but needed some renovations to ensure the vines stayed economical, Tom said. This involved removing 6,000m2 of Pinot Noir after the last harvest and replanting cover crops. “It effectively looks like a big lawn, but there are specific crops on there, like clover, which help fix the nitrogen, and stimulate and break up the soil ready for it to be replanted,” he explained. “That’s going to be a gradual process.”

In a world of advancing technology, Huia remains committed to some traditional winemaking techniques. One such practice is the meticulous hand-riddling process used for their sparkling wine production. “We still do our traditional method sparkling wine, where we take pride and a lot of care into the hand-riddling of our wine,” Georges said. This method involves gradually rotating the bottles to guide the lees toward the neck. Each bottle is marked with a white line to indicate rotation progress, and is turned once a day for 24 days. Head winemaker, Josh Lee’s experience making wine for nearly a decade in several different countries helps Huia achieve a level of quality that sets its wines apart in a competitive market.

A standout offering from Huia’s portfolio, Georges said, is “The Tangle,” a blend of Viognier, Pinot Gris, and Riesling. This wine reflects the vineyard’s creativity, blending varietals to achieve a balanced and complex flavour.

As sustainability and quality winemaking gain more prominence, Huia Vineyard remains dedicated to both. With a skilled team, eco-friendly practices, and respect for tradition, it continues to be a key player in both Marlborough’s wine scene and overseas.