|
Shop › Kim Crawford
|
 Kim Crawford became involved in wine and wine making quite by chance. It was 1983 and he was completing a BSc in microbiology and botany at Massey University. Post-graduate work was scarce. One of his lecturers suggested having a look at an industry that was very much in its infancy in New Zealand. "It was a revolutionary time for New Zealand winemaking. New varieties – Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Chardonnay – were being planted and the potential was there to be able to drink something other than sherry," recalls Kim. "I liked the promise of the future and decided to complete a postgraduate diploma in winemaking at Roseworthy College in South Australia." This was followed by work experience with Australian, Californian and South African wine producers. Kim returned to New Zealand in 1988. He worked at Auckland’s Coopers Creek winery until 1998. Two years’ earlier he had set up his own label. He explains the decision to form his own label: "To me, every wine maker should have his own label and this was a means whereby I had control over my destiny." The Kim Crawford Wines label grew out of a meeting with David Gleave MW, a United Kingdom wine distributor. He told Kim that he wanted New Zealand wines in his firm’s portfolio and he ordered 2000 cases each of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and Unoaked Marlborough Chardonnay. Says Kim: "Unfortunately, David left Enotria after taking only half of the wine. I then approached Auckland-based distributor Glengarry’s to sell the other half. They said they would and that is how Kim Crawford Wines began. My wife, Erica, and I started work in the spare room of the house we were living in at the time, which was in central Auckland. "In those days we were purely a virtual concern, that is, we did not operate from a vineyard or a winery. However, we had had good working relationships with contract grape growers and so utilised spare tanks based in other wineries for the production of Kim Crawford Wines." The Kim Crawford Wines operation has now progressed to owning its own vineyards and a winery, all of which are based in Marlborough, one of New Zealand’s premier wine producing regions. It has also expanded into tasting room and cellar door facilities at the Te Awanga Vineyard in Hawke’s Bay. Visit the Kim Crawford website. |
 |
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
All sizes are 750mL unless otherwise noted.
Vintages and ratings subject to change at any time.
All pricing and availability subject to change.
