In an industry where attrition and dwindling market share are more common than it should be, it is very pleasing to see the continued growth and success of the MacDonald’s te Pa Family Vineyards business based on the Wairau Bar of Marlborough. New vineyard blocks in the Lower Wairau are coming on stream to meet demand, and domestic sales have grown, with the ‘Pa Road’ brand being particularly successful. Sam Bennett is now the chief winemaker now that Liam McElhinney has finished his consultancy.
The Pa Road wines are siblings to the main te Pa label. It has more of a grocery focus whereas the te Pa wines target on-premise and fine wine retailers. Sam Bennett says the Pa Road wines are made to be more accessible, fruit forward and easy-drinking, and they tend to be regional blends rather than sub-region or single vineyard expressions. Here, I review a selection of 2018 and 2017 Pa Road wines, the 2018s also a challenging vintage following the cold and wet 2017 season. Sam reports that warm summer weather enabled early picking in the Lower Wairau before the cyclonic events, but the Awatere fruit was "stunning”, hence the increased Awatere component in some of the 2018 wines. www.tepawines.com
