Martinborough’s First Wine Press Restored

On the corner of Puruatanga Road and Regent Street is a sight that is new to most but familiar to those who remember the early days of winemaking in Martinborough. Don McConachy has restored the first wine press used in Martinborough for the commercial production of wine, and erected it on a handsome platform at the corner of his family vineyard. He says that when he and his wife Valerie came here a year ago to live and run the 10 acres of vineyard now named Devotus, the press was “just a piece of junk out the back”. However, after discovering its historical significance to Martinborough, Don decided to restore it and put it on public display “to commemorate and celebrate the great wines of Martinborough”.
The wine press was commissioned by Stan Chiffney, of what has since become Margrain Vineyard, in 1982. It was built by Stan Waugh of Waugh Engineering, whose son Rob remembers clearly the engineering detail that went into it. The press was used for the first time for the 1983 vintage and although it’s hard to believe now, production was so small that it was able to be shared between Chiffney, Ata Rangi, Dry River and Martinborough vineyards.
While Martinborough is still very much a boutique wine area, it has come a long way from the days when this humble press could cope with all of a season’s production. Today’s huge steel tanks are an enormous contrast to this modest banded timber barrel, but it is a wonderful reminder of the beginnings of wine in Martinborough and a tribute to the energy and drive of the early producers.
One of the next generation of wine producers, Don grew up on a sheep, cattle and cropping farm in the Rangitikei area, so rural life is in his blood. He spent many years overseas, where he met his English wife Valerie. Together they made trips to New Zealand, but it was the advent of children (two small boys named Mac and Zen) that precipitated the decision to return and live here. Over the years Don has worked on vineyards in a number of different countries, as well as at Alana Estate, and was drawn to viticulture and to Martinborough.
The approach Don takes to his vineyard is “hands on and simple, with traditional techniques”, which he relates to his“ basic type of background” in farming and his respect for time-honoured methods combined with modern techniques where appropriate. In the near future Don and Valerie intend to concentrate on growing the very best pinot noir they can, because “that’s what Martinborough does best”. Becoming a winemaker might be an ambition later on, but right now his passion and focus is on producing exceptional grapes.
Don and Valerie’s vineyard and its wine, which will be released in 2015, are named ‘Devotus’. This means ‘devotion’ in Latin and smoothly extends in this case to encompass ‘devotion to wine’. Recognising the importance of the first commercial wine press in Martinborough, restoring it, and bringing it out for everyone to appreciate is surely a demonstration of just that.