Huia

Marlborough

Huia Vineyards was established in 1996 by winemakers Mike and Claire Allan. The estate is dedicated to producing certified organic, minimal intervention wines.

Situated in the Wairau Valley, their vineyards feature well-draining alluvial soils composed of sandy silts and river stones, contributing to the vibrant tropical flavours in their wines.

Huia's portfolio includes varietals such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Grüner Veltliner, all crafted with a focus on sustainability and expressing the character of their vineyards.

The name is derived its name from the ‘huia’, an extinct bird native to New Zealand, and significant cultural importance to the Māori people, who regarded it as ‘tapu’ (sacred). By adopting this name, Huia Vineyards honours New Zealand's natural heritage and reflects a commitment to being guardians of the land and environment.

Winemaker

Winemaker

Josh Lee

Josh has been the winemaker at Huia since 2022. After obtaining his WSET level 3 and a BSc with Honours in Viticulture and Oenology from Plumpton College in the UK, he went on to make wine in Greece, California, Australia, Germany, the UK, Spain and Central Otago where he was responsible for Akarua’s traditional method sparkling program.

Within Marlborough he has worked at Dog Point, Greywacke and Whitehaven and also as a winemaker at VinLink Marlborough, one of New Zealand’s biggest wineries.

He has been a wine judge in both New Zealand and Burgundy and he is passionate about traditional method sparkling wine and loves Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir.

Although he has worked all over the world, Marlborough is his ‘tūrangawaewae’, his place to stand, making small-batch, premium wines to great acclaim.

Natural is Best

Natural is Best

Huia’s home vineyard is situated in Marlborough’s Rapaura district, and perfectly located - close to the Wairau River and in the lee of the Richmond Range. The winters are mild, the summers are pleasantly warm and sunny, with cool nights (ideal for nurturing intense fruit flavours in the grapes).

But what adds immeasurably to the location is Huia’s belief that a natural approach to winemaking produces the best tasting wine. Their focus is to become more and more in tune with the total environment of the vineyards. Working in harmony with the entire countryside provides balance and longevity.

Huia was organic from the outset and fully certified since 2011. They also employ biodynamic practices as well. And there’s more to this than winegrowing, with animal grazing, encouragement of biodiversity, and composting winery and vineyard waste.

“Huia is one of the pioneering, small Marlborough organic wine labels that has been making low intervention, vegan wine for a long time. These wines, are what society is expecting of wine producers” Tom Pegler, Owner

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