CLARK ESTATE

Clark Estate was established back in 1998 when after long careers as soldier and nurse, Peter & Jane decided to buy a few sheep paddocks by the Black Birch Stream in the Awatere Valley and establish 20 acres of Sauvignon Blanc. They set about learning how to manage a vineyard. To help fund the venture Peter would often be working in Wellington during the week leaving Jane to train the 22,000 new vines on her own. They would work together all weekend spending the night in their old caravan. After two modest harvests the new crop was completely destroyed by a late spring frost with no grape income for another 18 months and more travel for Peter. They achieved Sustainable Wine Growing New Zealand accreditation in 2003. By early 2009 the gamble paid off with major new export customers in the USA and Australia and a growth in sales in New Zealand. Son, Simon, is now the family winemaker, creating wines of world class quality and his sisters, Sarah and Jennifer, drive the sales and distribution division. Clark Estate takes bold steps to stand out from the crowd and is not afraid to show what can be done. Whether it be cutting edge winemaking, dynamic packaging or market driven initiatives such as KeyKeg to cater for the fast growing wine-on-tap market. Clark Estate showcase the best of Marlborough wines with an emphasis on the Upper Awatere Valley. The portfolio includes Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Riesling from the home block in the Awatere Valley and Pinot Noir grapes sourced from high in the Wairau Valley for the Pinot Noir and Rose wines.

Simon Clark

In 2003, Peter & Jane's son Simon Clark joined the team after completing his BVO and working vintages in Australia, Germany and New Zealand.