How Well Do We Know People in Our Community?

Thomas Röckinger, loving the small village lifestyle of Martinborough.

By Lyle Griffiths

Pforzheim in Southern Germany was where Thomas Röckinger lived with his family, the third of six children – five brothers and one sister.

Thomas attended kindergarten from the age of three until he began school at 6 years.

“What I most enjoyed about school was the practical subject which we had each year.

“The project would cover a 3 – 4 week period. Our first project was to build a house made of wood for a neighbouring playcentre. Parents, the teacher and the students were all involved. It was fun. We were doing something to help others and for a real purpose. The following year the class performed a play on stage.

“And then when I was 14 years, I and three other friends had an internship on a farm in Switzerland. When my mother dropped us off, she was very concerned because it looked like such a hippy establishment. The farming practices were old and traditional. The four of us slept in a barn. It was only 10 degrees and simply freezing but we survived.

“Other internships included a stint at a radio station and working with handicapped students, which I really enjoyed.

“Army training is compulsory in Germany, but you do have an option of either undertaking military training or doing alternative service in Germany or abroad.

“I elected to help in a home for special needs people in Massachusetts, USA for 12 months. I had to fund my own fare. Accommodation, food and a small amount of pocket money was provided.

“In 2012 I applied for a position at Martinborough Vineyard as a vintage cellar hand working in the winery. I had already spent a year training as a viticulturist.

“I remember arriving in Martinborough. The next day was to be the Martinborough Fair, but the wind was so ferocious that it had to be cancelled. It was a wild welcome to the South Wairarapa. I was supposed to stay just two months for the vintage but while I was there, I met my future wife, Nicola. My two months was suddenly extended to six or seven months.

“When I returned to Germany Nicola left for London. We both did a lot of travelling between Germany and the UK. In the interim I completed a two-year winemaking degree.

“Nicola and I returned to NZ in 2015 for our wedding in the Hawkes Bay. I worked briefly at Trinity Hill and Nicola worked for Craggy Range, but then we relocated to the South Wairarapa in 2016. We loved the small village lifestyle of Martinborough.

“At the same time there is so much going on there is no time to be bored. The wine community is helpful, cooperative and inclusive _ quite unlike Germany. 

“In 2017 we signed the contract to purchase Colombo Vineyard with 2018 being our first vintage.

The vineyard was boutique and, to begin, the cellar door was quiet. But when Moy Hall and the Reid and Reid Gin Distillery opened everything changed, Todd’s Rd became part of the vineyard trail. 

“Green Jersey cyclists contributed to the increased traffic. With the addition of pizzas and having built our own pizza kitchen it became even busier. Now we ask customers to book a table to ensure they are not disappointed. We work six days a week and sometimes the days are long.

“One afternoon at the end of a very long day, I was pouring a tasting for a couple in the tasting room. Running on autopilot I accidentally poured the wine into a candle holder which did look very similar to a wine glass. 

“The couple stared at the now very red candle and realising my mistake I said, ‘Well that’s a new one.’ We all laughed, and I poured the wine into the proper glass. The candle holder quickly disappeared. 

Hospitality has its odd quirks, but we love what we are doing.”