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They go about it in different ways, but each winemaker in our small team is committed to crafting intensely flavoured, fruit-forward wines. They have the benefit of tapping into the shared knowledge of unmatched winemaking experience in the key regions of Marlborough and Gisborne.
Our Winemakers |
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Jeff Clarke
Today, Jeff spends more than half of his time travelling around the company’s wineries, and in international markets. Like many of today’s winemakers, he is a roving ambassador, talking to distributors, key customers, wine writers and of course, consumers. Since Jeff came onboard, the company’s wines have earned the highest accolades at numerous international competitions including the London International Wine Challenge, where in 1999, he was named White Winemaker of the Year. Jeff notes, "I was very pleased to read a column by influential UK wine writer, Tim Atkin, when he wrote that of the top 20 brands in the UK, Montana (as Brancott is known in the UK) was the only one that he would choose to drink.” “I like getting out in the vineyard with the rest of the viticulture and winemaking team, particularly in the critical period leading up to, and during harvest. It’s great to be able to follow the progress from grapes to wine, and then to finally see the pleasure it brings people in the marketplace. My job would more approximate that of an orchestra conductor, in that there are a large body of people making the 'beautiful music'. It is my role to plan the range of the 'program', and work to keep everyone in time and harmony. The creativity is in the 'score' of the piece or, with wine, in the quality and the consistency of the product.”
Patrick Materman Patrick has a horticultural background, deciding at age six that he would study horticulture at university and get into growing flowers. (“A Dutch father’s influence!” he explains.) Flower growing turned out to be winemaking, but he considers spending time in vineyards as one of the most important aspects of his job. This involves monitoring vineyard blocks, tasting fruit and determining the optimum harvest date. Patrick is fascinated with the effect of terroir on wine style, seeking to understand Marlborough’s sub-regional differences better all the time. Recently, Patrick has established his own Sauvignon Blanc vineyard in Marlborough’s Awatere Valley. In the last couple of years, he has become impassioned with Pinot Noir, a variety that is producing ever-improving results as viticulturists and winemakers discover its secrets. He loves Marlborough wines for their fabulous fruit expression. “We concentrate on aromatic varieties, which are ideally matched to our cool, maritime climate – varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. These wines are about the purity of flavour and balance of acidity you get from a long, cool growing season. Fruit arrives at the winery with 100% of its potential. It is what is done in the winery that determines how much of that is retained. Put simply, don’t meddle too much in the winery! The underlying philosophy is to preserve fruit expression, but also to create wine with palate interest – great texture and mouth-feel.”
Steve Voysey Even after all these years in Gisborne, Steve says no two vintages have been the same. “I see this as challenge, to use winemaking techniques to present the best of every vintage, while keeping the wines reliable and consistent.” Over the years, he has achieved much more than just consistency. Brancott Ormond Estate Chardonnay and Brancott Patutahi Estate Gewürztraminer are now recognised as benchmarks for their respective styles, while Steve’s 1998 Reserve Gisborne Chardonnay was rated Best White Wine at the 1999 International Wine Challenge in London. The consistently strong showing of Gisborne wines on the show circuit proves that the region has long outgrown its original position as volume provider in Brancott’s range. “We can achieve qualities in some varieties that are unique in New Zealand, and indeed the world,” says Steve. He singles out Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer and Viognier in particular. “I like to approach winemaking with an open mind and continually look for ways to improve what we’re doing as a team. We are a young industry and still have a lot to learn. Our goal is to continually make a more complete wine, but not to lose the varietal expression or distinctive regional structure.”
Peter Hurlstone He started his winemaking career in the region 1994, shortly after graduating from Massey University with a Bachelor of Technology degree in Biotechnology/Bioprocess Engineering. Peter enjoys a range of wines, depending on the occasion. “My preference is for elegant, texture-based white wines and fine-grained Bordeaux red blends – both of which are great with food.” While he enjoys matching wine to food, the demands of having a young family sometimes takes precedence over indulging in long meals. He does try and make time for his love of trout fishing and golf though!
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Jeff Clarke is a veteran of more than 31 vintages and joined us in 1993 after working in a number of wineries in South Australia, Victoria and the Hunter Valley, such as Penfolds’ Barossa winery, home of the great family of red wines, including Grange. Jeff's experience also included time at Tisdall/Mount Helen Wines, where he worked with some of the pioneering cooler climate Australian plantings of Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Merlot and Chardonnay.
Former New Zealand Winemaker of the Year, Patrick Materman, leads a team of four winemakers and oversees the company ’s South Island winemaking at the Brancott Winery in Marlborough. He has been with the company since 1990 and has been based in Marlborough since 1994. 
Steve has been making wines at our Gisborne Winery since 1990. He completed a Bachelor of Technology Biotechnology degree at Massey University in New Zealand. In 1987, he joined the company as trainee winemaker in Marlborough, where he worked until his move to Gisborne.
Peter leads our winemaking team in Hawke’s Bay.
