Unison Vineyard was established in 1992 on the North Island area of Gimblett Gravels. A small, family owned property, it is a combination of traditional and modern winemaking techniques, with European style planting and hand-crafted products.
Your beginnings in New Zealand
Andrew Stark: Hi Philip – tell me about how an Englishman became a New Zealand winery owner.
Philip Horn: Hi Andrew.. It all starts many years ago. In the UK I had a career in FMCG and had worked my way up the corporate ladder. I was doing well and was well travelled in the UK but there was the underlying desire to work abroad. I’d always hankered to visit Australia (like many Brits do), but really it was the influence of a family member’s relocation to New Zealand which made me think “why not..?”
AS: So was getting involved in the wine industry at the forefront of your mind?
PH: No, not at the time. I actually interviewed with some retailers in Australia but it seemed like I was just replicating the same role in the UK – but with better weather. I just wasn’t inspired at all and had previously avoided working in London, then before you know it I’m in Sydney with a similar feeling of dread.
AS: What did ignite your passion?
PH: We travelled to New Zealand and for me, it was reminiscent of when I was younger; spending time at my wife’s family farm in Cornwall. There was a real ‘outdoors appeal’ to it and that sparked something in me, as did the desire to do ‘something new’.
AS: How does wine come into the equation?
PH: I was wondering how to use my science degree and sales experience and I started to notice a few wineries for sale as we travelled around so the dots started joining. Add to that my feelings about time in rural Cornwall – being outside and producing something from the land and the picture becomes fuller. I started thinking about it more, and knew that if I had my own winery, it wouldn’t be about contract growing, but a family concern. I knew I wanted to grow and nurture the grapes and for them to represent the place where the winery was to be.
AS: And where is your winery? South Island?
PH: No! It’s on the North Island in Hawke’s Bay. A lot of people think of New Zealand wine and the south Island, but I will come onto that later..! Hawke’s Bay has a lot for a growing family – and that was important for me. I didn’t want my kids to be completely bored all the time, so the considerations for location went beyond wine. Also, I wanted a climate I could enjoy, and Hawke’s Bay has a great climate.
AS: So you found your location, but what you weren’t a seasoned wine grower at this point.
PH: That’s right and I knew there were large gaps in my knowledge. I gained a certification from the Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT) where they have various grape growing and winemaking courses (and ended up as the top student!). It was very immersive and full-on, but that really suited me. Then, just as this started I got a call from my real-estate agent as he’d found a winery for me.
AS: Nothing like doing everything at once?!
PH: Yes, it was full on. It was good to buy a going concern rather than starting completely anew, but there was so much to learn. I had to get used to doing business in a new country as well as learning the craft of growing grapes and turning them into wine. I soon realised I needed help and one area where I knew I wasn’t ready with was my palate.
AS: Kind of crucial for a wine maker?
PH: Yes, and it was important that I recognised this. So, I started asking around – getting suggestions and recommendations and one name kept coming up, and that was a lady called Jenny Dobson. Jenny is very well known and respected in the industry. She is one of the first female, nonFrench winemakers to actually ‘make it’ in France.
It turned out Jenny lived close by and the timing couldn’t have been much better as she was in the stage of considering where her career, experience and knowledge would take her next. It turns out that Unison Vineyard became her first client as a consultant in this manner, and 2009 represents the first vintage from the winery that fully had Jenny’s and my stamp on it.
AS: Can you tell me a little more about Unison Winery?
PH: When I bought the winery, the boutique winery industry in New Zealand had changed. It was less boutique and more on a larger scale.
There was lots of ‘virtual’ wineries, ie; people bottling wine under a brand name, which they could sell to overseas markets with not as much regard for the quality as I would like.
AS: It was family owned then?
PH: Yes. The name Unison comes from the previous owners. The husband was from New Zealand with winemaking knowledge and his wife was German with viticulture experience. They approached their wine with a combination of Germany’s ‘old world’ viticulture and New Zealand’s ‘new world’ wine making – combining the best of both worlds to create something unique. This was their philosophy and is something we’ve retained.
AS: You grew up in the UK. What did you drink then, and did it carry any influence when you came to NZ?
PH: Growing up in the UK I used to enjoy Italian Pinot Grigio and its crisp refreshing finish. But arriving in NZ it was all labelled Pinot Gris and I loved the texture and aromatics, but it was always a very sweet finish. As we settled into the industry we decided to try to make the best of both worlds in true Unison fashion. And so with careful picking and some extra lees contact we have managed to create a wine with the round texture and aromatics of NZ but free of residual sugar so we get the fruit sweetness then a crisp finish.
AS: With Unison being small, what was the route to market?
PH: At this point (note; pre-covid) it was very much through the cellar door; people (tourists and locals) passing by or making a specific journey to stock up on wine. Covid really changed this and hit the industry hard though.
The Covid Effect and other challenges
AS: Tell me about the challenges Covid brought.
PH: Well, like with some other countries, New Zealand simply closed itself off from the world. Borders were literally shut which meant any type of tourism and passing trade ceased to be for several years. This really created a problem – you can’t staff the cellar door with the hope that someone ‘might’ pass by. New Zealanders went online. Lots of wineries and businesses of our type suffered. Our B&B was empty for months and months on end.
To make matters worse, just after the borders reopened in 2023 we were hit by a big cyclone. You just can’t account for this and the damage it causes, but the worst thing about it was the media reaction. Yes, the area had been hit with bad flooding but that was under control within days, however the media repeatedly reported the whole area was ‘no go’ which kept people away from the region for even longer. Just as you needed support, we actually got the opposite – the blows just kept on coming…
AS: Was this motivation for developing other income streams?
PH: It’s important for any business to look at income streams and in a post-covid world we are more varied. We do several things now to make the winery a destination – such as a restaurant, the cellar door, accommodation, but one of the other ventures came from overcoming a problem we just didn’t expect.
AS: Go on..
PH: For bottling we relied on a local supplier who had the machinery and space. Unfortunately, they decided that the volumes from smaller wineries such as ours wasn’t worth their time, so they wrote to us (and several other wineries) to deliver the bad news. This really left us in the lurch so I contacted them to explain that if they weren’t able to reconsider, then we would have to (by necessity) find ourselves and alternative solution which may end up working in competition to them. They listened but didn’t change, so I had a conversation with other wineries who were affected, and suggested we should work together to find a solution.
AS: That sounds sensible. Did it work?
PH: In the main, yes. We found a supplier for some machinery which was purchased and came over from Italy. I ended up buying it and making room at our winery. But then the original bottling supplier got wind of this and contacted me. I’d been upfront about finding my own solution, and they were surprised! They subsequently changed their model and opened up to bottling smaller quantities again. This meant our ready-made marketplace was halved overnight – but many stuck with the plan we discussed and now it’s very busy and very profitable too.
AS: So essentially your business is a wine maker, bottler and destination; restaurant, accommodation?
PH: Yes, as are many others like us in New Zealand and across the world. It’s just the location and availability or restriction of suppliers has led us to be responsible for and in control of more parts of our supply chain than I perhaps expected when I first started on this journey!
A New Zealand anti-effect?
AS: For you I see the challenge isn’t so much getting people to accept New Zealand wine – it’s more about educating people about your specific brand. Would that be a fair comment?
PH: Yes, and no. As I mentioned before there’s a huge expectation that New Zealand wine will firstly be made in the South Island, and secondly it will probably be a Sauvignon Blanc of perhaps a Pinot Noir. That’s what people know because that’s what people are told – even the New Zealand wine board really focus on that but it doesn’t give a full picture.
AS: Here’s a chance to tell people about the North Island…!
PH: Where we are is relatively new in wine terms, however I believe we have the ability to produce a broader range of wine styles in our region. I genuinely believe we can produce a better quality Sauvignon Blanc too (it’s less acidic!). We can produce Bordeaux styles (Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon), Pinot Gris and Syrah too.
AS: Is it important to you to be able to produce a broader range of wines?
PH: Definitely. Most of our visitors come at a warm part of the year which
means they often aren’t looking for heavier wines, especially heavy reds. The ability to produce a lighter red, such as ‘…And Relax’ which is a Syrah and a great introduction to what we do. It tastes like Gammay/ Beaujolais and can be served chilled too.
AS: Is your area of Hawke’s Bay are recognised areas?
PH: We’ve adopted a French-style appellation naming approach but with a more modern twist I suppose. So Gimblett Gravels (which is within Hawke’s Bay) is registered as a brand rather than a region. It has no winemaking restraints, however there are strict provenance conditions on the grapes – such as 95% of grapes must be from the area, and there’s conditions on the soil too.
I think this approach helps us, and other wineries, to have an identity which in turns helps how it is communicated to the wine purchaser.
AS: What is specific about the Gimblett Gravels area?
PH: The area was formed by a flood in the late 1800’s which left gravel, sand and silt. In wine making terms, this allows the vineyards to drain well which in turn encourages a long and healthy root system. Also the sand and stones play their part with retention of heat as well as reflection of the sun – in short this means the grapes achieve a full ripeness in the growing season.
All of this affects the taste of course.
AS: Does this help dispel some myths and misconceptions?
PH: I think so, but there’s still challenges. For example, I remember attending 2017’s Wine Show in London. It was great to talk to people from the trade and so much great feedback about our wine. However when I pushed for a sale, I was often faced with “but you’re from the North Island”.
Is this an issue? Well for some they don’t see beyond what they currently do; “95% of what I sell is from the South Island….” So they kind of stick with that. And that’s disappointing to hear.
AS: How can you fight this?
PH: With consumers I’d say. The more people start asking for something, the more likely suppliers are to stock something. Yes, trade is always going to be an important channel, but if we were to look back at when the cellar door was so successful it was because people could come and experience the product and appreciate the care and attention that goes into making it. But you can’t replicate that globally – however word of mouth and reputation does help.
AS: This brings us back to the combination of the ‘Unison experience’ – café, restaurant, cellar…?!
PH: Getting the liquid on people’s lips is of paramount importance and that helps create advocates of course. Also wine is often consumed with food, so that combination of experiences will always be important.
Growing the brand in countries other than New Zealand
AS: You previously mentioned wine events and expo’s. Is this your route to an international market?
PH: Despite the turbulence in our early years, there has been clarity surrounding how we present ourselves and how we see growth. With the brand we we listened to feedback from the customers and trade buyers. In short, we were told “we love your wine but the labels suck”. They had little stand out and nothing much to grab the attention, so we knew we had to address this in order for the product to have a greater
visual appeal.
AS: What was your approach to branding?
PH: We knew the labels were too “old school” for what we wanted the brand to represent and were inspired by the UK craft beer market. You coud see designers having a great amount of fun and they really showed off some great product and exciting businesses.
AS: What was the feedback like from customers?
PH: Fantastic! They loved it!
AS: I’m curious about some of the names, such as ‘Bumble Bee’. I’m assuming there’s a story to tell?
PH: Yes all the wines have a name and story. We source the white grapes from other small growers in the wider Hawke’s Bay region.
The grapes are hand picked and when we arrived all seemed usual, but after an hour we were swarmed by local bees which were attracted to the aromas from the grapes, the owner said, yes it happens every year when we pick the Pinot Gris, it must mimic nectar for them. So after returning with the grapes and a few stings, we decided it had to be Bumble Bee Pinot Gris!
We knew the labels were too “old school” for what we wanted and were inspired by the UK craft beer market.
PHILIP HORN, UNISON VINEYARD, NEW ZEALAND
AS: So you’ve got a great product, you’ve modernised your brand and the customer feedback is fantastic? When and where will I get to try it in the UK?
PH: That’s the next steps. New Zealand is running well now and I think earlier I said the key thing is to get the wine on people’s lips. We recognise the importance of wine and food being consumed together, but it also needs someone who can share the same passion with New Zealand as we do. As a starter you will find us at The Trout Inn, Wansword. They really focus on their product and the experience they create. After a recent rennovation they’re planning to brew their own beer, distil their own spirits – and will continue stocking our wine, both in the restaurant and online for sales in the UK. On our own website we sell accross New Zealand but to add shipping to the UK for small quantities makes it cost-prohibitive. A location such as the Trout Inn which focusses on premium products from smaller producers is ideal for us.
AS: When I spoke with Weidong Wei (in my first ‘Discovery Session’ about the Chinese whisky market, he highlighted the importance of the role of tasting clubs. Would this be similar for you?
PH: Wine clubs are a very important channel. In NZ a lot of the smaller rural communities have wine clubs where people meet once a month and go on winery visits who will hold a tasting for the members. They then order wine and we ship it to the club for distribution. I have heard from a few cellar door visitors from the UK that they do exist over here but finding them is the problem. We’d love to do some of these in the UK when we visit.
AS: I’m looking forward to it. Thanks so much.
Philip Horn is Director of Unison Estate Vineyard, based on New Zealand’s north island in Hawke’s Bay. If you’re in New Zealand, or have plans to go, you can visit, drink, eat and stay.
More info here; www.unisonvineyard.co.nz
If you’re in the UK, you can find Unison Estate now at The Trout Inn, Wansford. (North East Yorks). www.thetroutwansford.co.uk
For more about Gimblett Gravels wine growing district; www.thegimblettgravels.com