The Story

Flying was Sarah’s first passion. Her father was a pilot and she joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force at just 17 to follow her dream. After making it through the notoriously gruelling RNZAF Wings Course, Sarah went on to fly Iroquois helicopters. Deploying all over the Pacific and conducting tasks such as peace-keeping, search and rescue, special operations and battlefield support, the highlight of Sarah’s career was spending two Summers flying in Antarctica. Sarah then became a flying instructor and spent two seasons flying with the formation aerobatic team, The Red Checkers. Despite the overseas travel, much of Sarah’s flying was conducted throughout New Zealand, including flying over the various and beautiful vineyard regions. What became immediately obvious was that vineyards seemed to reside in the most beautiful places, so maybe that was something to pursue for the future.

Already possessing a passion for drinking wine, Sarah decided that making wine might be the next dream to follow when she was finished with flying. Two things needed to occur for this to happen; learn something about growing and making wine, and find a whole load of money. Someone once said, “How do you make a million dollars from a vineyard?” The answer is “Start with $20 million!” While still in the Air Force, Sarah decided to complete an EIT Diploma in Viticulture and Winemaking and then worked a vintage at Gibbston Valley Winery to get some experience. As for the money? Seeking adventure and not quite finished with flying, Sarah headed out to the Middle East and did 10 years flying out to oil rigs off the coast of Dubai. 

As anyone will tell you, you can never save enough money to embark on this venture, but with kids getting older and wanting them to have a real Kiwi childhood, it was time to come home anyway. As we all know, New Zealand possesses some of the best vineyards and wineries in the world, which makes it very hard to compete and find your niche. Having grown up in Canterbury, Hanmer Springs had always held a certain attraction as what seemed like a beautiful place to live and Sarah wondered if it would be possible to grow grapes there. The climate is very similar to Central Otago, with its continental-esque scorching summers and freezing winters. It also boasts cold nights and hot days, which is great for flavour development, and the hills around the basin possess an array of differing soil types. After 5 years of searching, a beautiful north-facing site with gentle slopes and light clay soils was procured. As one of the highest, alpine vineyards in New Zealand, Hanmer Springs Wines is definitely a vineyard on the edge. But history has proven that with dedication and passion, these vineyards can produce some outstanding wines.