Born on the lush, green, easternmost edge of the world, winemakers Andrew and Steven Blampied have artisanal winemaking woven right into their DNA. “Our family’s been farming for generations,” confirms Steve, “far longer than the wine industry has been around in New Zealand. First, there were sheep and crops in the late 1800s, then wine at our original site on Lake Road beginning in the mid-1970s.” In fact, the family’s first vines were planted in 1975, making them one of the very first to pursue serious viticulture in NZ. Today,the two brothers own 5 vineyard sites totaling 42 hectares, and oversee contracts for 5 additional independent plots. Unsurprisingly, half the total vines are devoted to Sauvignon Blanc, inclduing those grown in Marlborough's windblown Awatere Valley. “There were rabbits here before there were vineyards,” chuckles Andrew. With its higher altitude and rocky, alluvial soils, this sub-region tends to produce whites with more citrus and flinty minerality. In addition, there are vines in the low-lying Wairau Valley (a bit further north in Marlborough) known for its piercing acidity and intense, tropical flavors. Lastly, they still produce wine in their hometown of Gisborne (North Island) where they have the original farm and grow grapes in a warmer, more humid clime. “Gisborne where we started is adjacent to the international date line, so as we like to say we’re the first place on earth to see the light - our wine literally sees the morning sun first and has a real tropical style.”

In a country where 80% of wine production falls to large corporations (many owned by overseas investors) Lake Road remains a true-blue example of down-to-earth, family-operated winemaking in New Zealand. Notably, all their pruning and much of their harvesting is manual, which is especially unusual in Marlborough, where the norm is work done by machines. “I still remember training vines by hand with our granddad, John Dennis, and our team of cousins,” says Steve. “Absolutely - and as kids we always enjoyed harvest, too,” adds Andrew. “You know, driving tractors before it was safe to do so and riding around on the back of the harvester at night… clearing blocs was always a highlight.” And with Andrew's own 17-year-old son, Orlando, already coming aboard to help in the fields (and a few more nieces and nephews probably out there driving tractors), Lake Road’s kinetic family tradition seems primed to carry on well into the future!