Ever wondered why some wines get better with age and why older vintages are highly sought after? Enter the world of wine libraries – where bottles are kept from the public so they can age to perfection. It’s a realm where time, patience, and expert craft combine to transform wines into something truly remarkable. The gradual process of aging enhances the flavours and complexity, making each bottle a cherished time capsule. In the hands of master winemakers, these wine libraries serve as the stage for an intriguing transformation that creates some of the most amazing wines. Unveiling the Secre ..read more

Summer is a wonderful time to visit the vineyards. The vines are looking their best — green, lush and loaded with grapes and the promise of a new vintage. Whether you plan on visiting a couple of local wineries or just hanging out in the garden with friends, now is the perfect time to sample a few lovely bottles of wine.  Nelson certainly has lots of vineyards to choose from. Many have cellar doors that are open during summertime. Nothing beats sitting outside on a warm afternoon, sipping a glass of wine and gazing out over the very vines from which it came.  The wineries often offe ..read more

The holidays are just around the corner and it’s starting to feel a bit like Santa’s workshop at Kahurangi. Our ‘elves’ are super busy in the lead-up to Christmas, making sure that our customers have beautiful wine to go with all that summer fun.   What better time to introduce you to a few more of the people who make up our hard-working little team? Working at the front desk, Nikki is the wonderful person who processes your order and makes sure it ends up in the right place.  You might have had a friendly chat with Nikki on the phone. She’s full of helpful advice when it comes ..read more

Most wines are blended to some degree since the grapes come from different vines, blocks and vineyards. But things get even more interesting when different varieties of grapes are combined. The trick lies in knowing which grapes to blend and why — that’s where our clever winemakers perform their magic. Even when working with a single variety of grapes, winemakers have to deal with fruit from different sources. Not all wineries have the option of creating different labels, so careful blending is required to create a homogeneous wine. That way customers will be able to recognise their favourite ..read more

Our director, David Barrett, loves nothing better than getting together with family and friends to celebrate great food and wine. When you consider his family background, you could almost say his love of wine was written in the stars. David’s fascination with everything to do with wine began early — long before he and partner Sue settled in the Nelson region going on 20 years ago. The love of wine is an intrinsic part of David’s Danish heritage.  Growing up in Auckland with Danish parents, the appreciation of good food and wine was a ‘whole family’ experience. Thursday night at the Barre ..read more

Ever wondered what it would be like to grow up in a vineyard? Our director Samantha Jones knows first hand — she literally grew up with our Kahurangi vines. Pretty romantic right? Sam remembers that life in the vineyard was a lot of fun, but it was hard work too. These days Sam is our National Sales Manager, but she’ll never lose her close connection with Nelson and the winery. Just a teenager at the time, Sam was there at the very beginning of the Kahurangi brand, when her parents Greg and Amanda bought the winery from Herman Seifried in 1998. The Kahurangi label and Sam literally grew up tog ..read more

Our working directors love being involved in every aspect of our small family-owned business. But our ‘hands on’ approach is especially true in the warehouse where director Hadyn Ellis rules.  Hadyn’s journey at Kahurangi came from small beginnings. He never dreamed when he started a part-time, temporary job doing a bit of bottling that he would still be here 14 years later – let alone as a director. In the old days, the bottling and labelling was done in a corner of the winery and Hadyn had just one pallet a day to deal with. These days we label up to four pallets a day and Hadyn is kep ..read more

Rain, rain go away! If you’ve been shouting at the skies this past month you’re not alone. Our grape growers have too! But rain is not the only challenge facing wine producers at the moment, as our General Manager, Lynn Mabon, knows first-hand.  The last few years have proved a struggle for most small businesses, and the wine industry has been no exception. With the virtual collapse of the hospitality sector and 35-40 percent of our business disappearing overnight, we knew it was going to be a tough ride at Kahurangi. Thank goodness we have people on our team like Lynn Mabon.  Photo ..read more

Our final blog for 2021 Christmas is made from moments of magic. No matter how or where you celebrate, the key ingredients remain the same: kindness, laughter, and lots of smiles. For an extra sprinkle of joy, add some delicious food to share and a lovely glass of wine. After what feels like a very long year, we all need a little bit of magic. Relaxing with friends and spending time with the people we love is what the holidays are all about. If you’re one of those people who’s determined to keep things simple and ‘go local’ this Christmas, then you’re in great company. Lots of our customers te ..read more

Anyone fancy a picnic at the beach? How about a barbecue with friends? Or a delicious dinner served al fresco? We say bring on all the fun stuff — because that’s exactly what’s needed in these interesting times. So hunt out your jandals, dust off the picnic blanket, and pop a bottle of lovely Nelson wine into the chilly bin. It’s time to relax.  The holiday season is the perfect time to seek out some extra special treats to share with your favourite people. If you’re thinking what we’re thinking — that life could do with some extra sparkle — be sure to check out some of our region’s gorg ..read more