Behind the vine

Sophie McGill - Abel - Nelson Tasman, New Zealand

When do you think you fell in love with wine, enough to make a career of it?

My dad has been a winemaker for my whole life. He initially studied biochemistry, which is the basis of winemaking, and someone suggested it to him. He went back to school and would make us smell wines and ask us what they smelled like. 'It smells like wine' was not an option! He would talk to us about all these different notes, and even though picking up all of those different things tends to intimidate people, it's just a matter of smelling and thinking, or reading a few notes, or asking a few friends. That was my introduction. Then I ended up meeting Mark through work, and we have a shared passion of wine and food. Mark studied winemaking, but for me it was like winemaking by fire working in wine supply. It always interested me in how the different things you do work into the final product.

What story does your wine tell?

Mark and I are fiercely independent. So, when we decided to move back to NZ and were looking for properties and availability of land - we stayed away from Marlborough. We didn’t want to be so close to an industry that had so much set in stone. The area we’re in (Nelson Tasman) isn't new, but it's really local. A lot of the wineries are really small and focus on the local market. It barely features on the winemaker radar. People make every variety under the sun.

We decided to focus on Chardonnay because it was a wine we’d open 9 times out of 10 at home. The grape also has a double synergy - Dad made a Chardonnay that was always my favourite and the soils over here were really conducive to it. We definitely set out to make a different kind of Chardonnay and when you make one wine, it allows you to focus and experiment in a way that is exciting.

Our Chardonnay speaks to Chardonnay lovers, but if you didn't think you liked Chardonnay, it can convert you. The style is very much a shared vision with ourselves and Dad. It's a more intrepid way of making wine - you throw out the book of how you've been taught. Our Chardonnay is uncomplicated, a little bit funky, but a beautiful, refreshing wine to drink with food. It’s about what Chardonnay can be, but people don't think it is. People overthink Chardonnay or think it can be really non-expressive, so they try to build a different character. But the fruit has a beautiful character and if you focus on letting that shine, that's the traditional method of winemaking of letting the fruit sing, rather than the extra bits around it.

What misconceptions about wine do you think people should forget?

People are so intimidated by wine, or even a wine list, but you should never feel judged by anyone when it comes to your wine knowledge. Wine is so broad that there's not a single person who knows everything. I'm not intimidated because I know that I won't know it all.

Wine choices are something that come and go with the fashion and you can get swayed because you think 'everyone has gone off that type of wine', but it’s important to like what you like. Wine is really complex and layered, but you don't have to understand any of that to enjoy it. So be proud of liking what you like and don't be intimidated or bulldozed.

What great things about wine do you think people should remember?

It is a drink made to be enjoyed. It's complex and serious as a product, but it's literally meant to be a drink that is fun and enjoyable.

It's also something that's so fun to experiment with - it's a product all about exploration. You can stick with what you normally have, or try a different wine every week.

What is a piece of advice you would give to a woman interested in breaking into the wine world?

I think the industry has opened up a lot, even in the last few years. There's a lot of opportunity in all levels of wine. So be confident and go for it. No matter how much you think you don't know, be really confident in what you do know. If you've just scratched the surface, you're ahead of people who are too afraid to even do that. There are always new things happening in wine. Tradition is open to interpretation, which you can see from all the diversity in the industry - like the interest in natural wine. The industry embraces you whatever you want to do!

Who is a woman in wine you think everyone should know about?

The number of female winemakers in Marlborough is massive, which is really cool. There is so much female talent in that space, including Jules Taylor.

Where can women find your wine?

We sell on our website for Australia and New Zealand. The Sourcing Table in the UK. We also have a distributor in Singapore.