Surprise Honour for Ata Rangi

Founding Martinborough winery Ata Rangi owners Clive Paton and Phyll Pattie were “knocked for six”  when Ata Rangi was awarded the title of Tipuranga Teitei o Aotearoa or Grand Cru or Great Growth of New Zealand at the grand finale gala dinner of New Zealand’s Pinot Noir 2010 event.  

The new award “recognises those who have taken time to evolve and develop Pinot Noir. They are considered a Premier Producer of Pinot Noir; the top echelon and an inspiration to the rest of the industry”.  Ata Rangi and Felton Road (Central Otago), arguably producers of New Zealand’s most highly regarded Pinot Noirs, received the inaugural accolade from Pinot Noir 2010 Chairman, Alastair Maling MW.  

In presenting the award, Alastair Maling said: “Known as Tipuranga Teitei o Aotearoa, this is a uniquely New Zealand award, combining terroir with winemaking philosophy and consistent quality. It can only be achieved with vine age, proven wine quality and undoubted global recognition.”

Both recipients were initially stunned by the surprise announcement, but clearly honoured and humbled. They attributed their success to their "unique pieces of dirt" or terroir, to their winemaking philosophies and to their hard-working and dedicated family teams. Clive and Phyll paid special tribute to Clive’s sister Alison Paton and to talented senior winemaker Helen Masters.

Ata Rangi began in 1980 when Clive sold his dairy farm and brought a bare block of land to pursue something a little different. ''I think most people thought Clive was mad giving up his profitable dairy farm and buying a barren paddock,'' his wife Phyll commented. At the time she was a winemaker at Montana Wines.    

Clive described the award as an affirmation of their place in the industry and added that even though the vineyard business could be hard going financially, it was full of rewards.

''You have to be patient in this industry; you have to love what you are doing,” he said.  “It is extraordinary to reflect and consider how far we’ve come in 30 years, yet be aware that this is really only the start of the journey.”

Optimistic about the future of New Zealand pinot noir, he commented that “I tasted some excellent examples during the conference. The standard can only improve as vines on our most promising sites expand their root volume and dig deeper, taking even more structure and character from each distinct patch of earth.”

Fellow recipient Nigel Greening of Felton Road, said. “To me it is a sign that wine in New Zealand is entering a new phase of its still short history, becoming a statement of place, message and consistency - perhaps a more mature measure than point scores, medals or competitions.”