THE EDGE

The brainchild of acclaimed Martinborough winemaker Larry McKenna, The Edge is a regional vineyard project aimed at producing distinctive varietal wines that offer very high quality for everyday consumption. The philosophy is built around finding the best wine styles from the region best suited to growing those wine varietals. Wines currently made under The Edge label are Martinborough Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir label, and a Viognier from Gisborne’s warmer maritime climate. Home base for The Edge wines is the Escarpment Vineyard in Te Muna Road, Martinborough, established in 1999 as a joint business venture between Robert and Mem Kirby (of Australia's Village Roadshow), and Larry and Sue McKenna.

"Te Muna" means 'secret' or 'special place' and that is exactly how the people at Escarpment and The Edge feel about the land and what it means to live, grow and make wine there.

The Edge brand champions New Zealand through the use of indigenous iconography. It draws on the Kupe narrative of the Escarpment range and encompasses full flavoured, high quality wines at mid-price point. The ‘edge’ refers both to New Zealand’s position on the edge of the world and to the Escarpment vineyards being on the edge of the sloping escarpment on the Huangarua River.

Larry McKenna

Born and bred in Adelaide, Australia he graduated from the Roseworthy Agricultural College there in 1976 and has nearly three decades of wine making experience under his belt. After travelling for a stint through Europe sampling the wine culture, he ?cut his teeth? with fellow Roseworthy student, John Hancock, at Delegat?s Wine Estate in Auckland, New Zealand. In 1986 Larry left Auckland to take up the position of CEO/Winemaker at Martinborough Vineyard in the Wairarapa region. From 1986 to 1999 he grew this company from 20 to 160 tonnes and firmly put Martinborough Vineyard and himself on the world map as one of the pre-eminent New World Pinot Noir producers and winemakers. Much of Larry?s success with wine making has come from a deep seated passion for producing the very best wine out of the grapes he has to work with. He takes a collaborative approach to wine making and believes in sharing his knowledge and understanding with fellow winemakers to ensure collective learning and progression occurs. He points to the developments and successes in recent years with NZ?s Pinot Noir and argues that the open exchange the winemakers have shared and the fact they represent a range if nationalities and approaches to wine making and this grape, benefits the quality of the wine produced.