Description
About Huia
Claire and Mike arrived in Marlborough in 1990 and started Huia in 1996.
“We were completely blown away by the region. It seemed to have the brightest sunshine, the most intensely flavoured wines, be stunningly beautiful and have an endless supply of the freshest produce.”
Those early years were spent gaining valuable experience in wineries in Marlborough. Mike at Cloudy Bay and Vavasour whilst Claire was at Corbans and Lawson’s Dry Hills. They also both did a vintage in Champagne at Veuve Cliquot and Taittinger respectively.
This gave them a great grounding in making bright New World wines, but also an appreciation of the sense of land, heritage and tradition from the Old World. This was also when they purchased the wonderful Home block in Rapaura. It took several years to get it cleared, build the house and get the first vines planted. At the same time two gorgeous daughters arrived – Tui and Sophie – and they have played a full part in the continuing journey (and the workforce!).
“Since we started Huia the vineyards have grown with an ever increasing emphasis on environmental sustainability, organics and bio-dynamics. The further we go down the track the more evident it is that healthy clean vineyards are great places to live and work and produce more characterful wines and ever year they seem to just get better.”
The Vineyard
The home vineyard is farmed organically and bio-dynamically with a view to long term improvements in soil structure, biodiversity and providing a healthy environment for everybody involved. The home block is 9 hectares and is the original planting where the winery and family home are also located. The vineyard comprises Sauvignon Blanc planted in 1994 with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay planted in 1995. In 2020 a small block of Syrah and Viognier was developed.
The vineyard is situated in Marlborough’s Rapaura district on what is known as the “Golden Mile”. This is one of Marlborough’s most premium sites with its free draining alluvial silts and undulating stony nature, close to the Wairau River and is well in the lee of the Richmond Range. Sauvignon Blanc off this vineyard typically has riper tropical notes than the cooler areas of Marlborough. The undulating stony nature and the mix of richer silts creates a medley of flavours – even in the same row of grapes.
The Huia vineyard has been fully certified organic since 2011.
