Peter Russell
Young WinemakerThis article was written by Sophie Preece for the November 2021 edition of Winepress.
Peter Russell as an associate judge at the Marlborough Wine Show. Photo Richard Briggs
Peter Russell retained his title at the 2021 Tonnellerie de Mercurey Marlborough Young Winemaker of the Year competition, taking top spot for the second year running. But the Matua winemaker says there was seriously tough competition, with the calibre of contestants climbing as the event matures. “It gets pretty intense,” he says, thankful that he had plenty of past experience to remind him to “take a breath” and take stock of each question.
In 2019 Peter came runner up in the Marlborough Young Winemaker, followed by his win last year, on the same day his purchase of a vineyard on Old Renwick Rd went unconditional. Having hands on the product from vines to wines has helped “tie everything together” in terms of his knowledge and understanding. “As with anything in this industry, I think the more experience you have the more everything falls into place and you make connections”, says Peter, talking of watching the growing season, “and linking what I am seeing happen in the soil with biology and biodiversity”, before considering what comes through in the wine. Matua buys in his grapes, so Peter can see how they compare with fruit from nearby blocks, and he found “vast differences” in the tank in vintage 2021.
This year he has put in cover crops to increase the biodiversity of the soil and vineyard, and he’s confident it’s an approach that will stand the industry in good stead. “I think regenerative agriculture, in particular for the wine industry, has some serious value,” Peter says. “Especially when it comes to nutrient cycling and pest and disease management.” It’s also nice to see diversity in vineyards, he says. “The monoculture of Marlborough can be a bit scary.” With 20-year-old Sauvignon Blanc vines on his small block, Peter is pretty delighted by the variety’s huge appeal on the global market right now. “It’s flying off the shelves everywhere, which is really nice. We couldn’t have the 2022 vintage come soon enough.”
Peter grew up on a sheep, beef and deer farm in the Manawatū, but when he received a Future Leaders scholarship to study at Lincoln, took the opportunity to delve into another strand of primary production that would tap into his interest in science. His debate topic at the Young Winemakers Competition was “you need tertiary education and winery experience to be a successful winemaker”, which is something he relates to.
Before graduating in 2014, Peter did vintages in Hawke’s Bay and Bordeaux, and returned certain that he’d chosen the right industry. Following his study, he worked three years at Hunter’s in Marlborough, followed by vintages in the Hawke’s Bay and United States, before working two years at Framingham, then joining Matua.
Peter, who turned 30 shortly after the Marlborough competition, will head to Central Otago for the 2021 Tonnellerie de Mercurey Young Winemaker of the Year national final in early 2022, to compete against finalists from Central Otago and the North Island. “I’ve received lots of messages from other contestants and members of the wine industry and I feel grateful to be part of such a supportive community,” he says.
Second place in the Marlborough competition went to Ruby McManaway from Yealands, who also won the best Fruitfed Supplies Speech, keeping the audience entertained on the topic of low alcohol wines. Alun Kilby from Marisco came in third, and Joshua Twedell from Babich won the People’s Choice Award for the best wine blend prepared during the competition and voted for by the dinner guests. Ellie Hobbs from Rose Family Wines won the Indevin Wine Judging Section as well as the Vin Olympics, and Eden Kelleher from Yealands was awarded a leadership course at Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology.