A new owner and a change of season at Huia
After 26 years, Huia has a new owner.
As industry stalwarts, Claire & Mike Allan depart from the winery they started, new proprietor, Tom Pegler, looks forward to steering Huia into a bright future built on the legacy crafted and well established around the world.
Huia Vineyard’s new owner, Tom Pegler who has a background in investing, has spent the last five years working for some of New Zealand’s most recognised wineries and honing his passion for the craft of making wine. He has always had a love of food and wine which has been further cemented by the experience of working in the cellar. After gaining this insight into the New Zealand wine industry, he has been on the hunt for a winery to buy and call his own.
This hasn’t been an overnight decision. His search has covered miles and over four years to find a winery that met his strict criteria. “I’ve always wanted to make a product that I’m proud of, something I can put my name to. The quality aspect had to be there.” says Tom of the credentials he was looking to find in the winery he was prepared to invest his time and efforts into.
“The cool thing about Huia is, not only the quality but it also reflects the thing that people really value, our home. Huia is making wine while trying to have the minimum impact possible on our environment. Growing grapes organically is the most visible thing. It’s also about many choices we make. There are so many things like water resources and decisions around packaging and transport that we want to manage in a way that ensures the best outcomes for future generations.” Tom says. Determined to find a quality boutique winery that provided a place to work outside of a large corporate environment, Tom states that Huia ticked a lot of boxes.
“Huia is one of the pioneering, small Marlborough organic wine labels that has been making low intervention, vegan wine for a long time. Thinking about what people want now, these wines, with no nasties in them, are what society is expecting of wine producers. We need to take some of the tools that nature has given us and apply those intelligently to managing the vineyards, to ensure we’re minimizing our footprint.”
With Huia Vineyard’s great reputation, Tom is under no illusions of the shoulders on which he stands by taking on the established brand. Tom explained, “Claire and Mike have done a fantastic job. Claire really shaped Huia and she has also influenced winemaking in Marlborough with her work for many other local producers prior to Huia. She’s been instrumental in the development of Mana Winegrowers and a supporter of Appellation Marlborough Wine.”
As Huia starts what you could call a new season, new opportunities to share the land with new custodians begin. Viticulture Manager, Andy Gillions and Winemaker, Josh Lee have joined the company and bring with them an enthusiasm to respect the legacy while relishing a chance to make their own impression.
A boutique winery, even by New Zealand standards, Huia Vineyards has been extremely successful abroad enjoying representation in world-class establishments like the Michelin-starred Pétrus by Gordon Ramsay in Knightsbridge, London. Along with successes in the UK and Europe and parts of Asia, Huia wines have proven to be favourites of the hospitality community with the Huia sparkling wine, a style of wine Huia is becoming well-known for, being selected as the celebratory wine for NZ born, Michelin-star Chef Josh Emett when he and his wife, Helen married.
Where some other New Zealand wineries have struggled, Huia has seen some extremely positive results in America. Eager to expand and ensure Huia can offer quality wine in an inclusive way in every market it lands in, Tom points out, “Huia has done really well in the US. Now I really want to make Huia more available in the New Zealand market place. This is our home. We want to be a part of the community we’re from.”
The Huia brand looks set to provide a sturdy foundation for the future with a strong grasp on an enduring legacy.
Huia has forged deep connections to Marlborough for The Allan family. Claire and Mike have raised their daughters, Tui and Sophie, on the vineyard, surrounded by the winemaking community of the region. As Claire and Mike move forward separately with their own journeys ahead, Tom acknowledges the efforts that have literally been dug into the soils of this land and looks to honour those efforts.
“Both Claire and Mike have contributed greatly to this business. Mike brought learnings from wineries like Cloudy Bay and Vavasour and Veuve Cliquot while Claire gained experience at Taittinger, Corbans and was the first winemaker for Lawsons Dry Hills. Over thirty years of that sort of experience counts for a great deal.” Tom adds “Coming into the industry with a brand that has a legacy of being what I think the modern consumer is seeking is pretty exciting.”
