We have history here.
The people who make Vavasour know the Awatere intimately.
We know this place; how the stony soil and unforgiving climate, when handled with intimate understanding, conspire to produce wines of greater elegance, perfume and texture.
Stu Marfell
Chief Winemaker
As a child, Chief Winemaker Stu Marfell witnessed an exciting transformation from quiet pastoral farming to celebrated appellation as Vavasour forged a new frontier in winemaking. As a nine-year-old he was at the winery for that first revelatory vintage of 1989 – and caught the winemaking bug. Awarded ‘New Zealand Winemaker of the Show’ at the New Zealand International Wine Show in both 2018 and 2022.
Ellie Hobbs
Winemaker
Susan van der Pol
Winemaker
Susan van der Pol was raised in Blenheim, the centre of Marlborough’s wine industry. In 2002, she was awarded a diploma in Viticulture & Wine Production from Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology. Susan then spent two vintages overseas before returning to New Zealand and joining the Vavasour team as Assistant Winemaker in 2011.
Mat Duncan
Viticulturist
Fond memories of growing up on his father’s vineyard in Hawkes Bay solidified Mat’s choice to pursue a career in viticulture. Mat graduated from Lincoln University with a Diploma in Horticultural Management and joined the Vavasour team in 2007 as Vineyard Manager, now overseeing 205 hectares of vineyards between the Awatere and Wairau Valleys.