Hunter's Wines

Hunter's Wines was established by the late Ernie Hunter in 1979, the year he and Jane Hunter first planted roots in Marlborough. New Zealand Winegrowers lists Hunter's among the pioneers of the Marlborough region. Hunter's journey into sparkling wine began in 1985, guided by Dr. Tony Jordan, and in 1986 Hunter's won initial acclaim at the London Sunday Times Wine Festival. MiruMiru made its debut at New Zealand House in London in 1997. The business is managed by Jane Hunter and her brother-in-law Peter Macdonald, with Jane's sister Libby Macdonald and Peter's sons James and Edward in the business. In October 2025 Jane Hunter was beginning to hand the reins to her nephews, James and Edward Macdonald. Hunter's calls itself Marlborough's oldest single-family-owned winery and the only Marlborough vineyard established in the 1970s still owned by its original family. In 2023 the company produced around 150,000 cases of wine a year and ran its own bottling line.

• 1979: Ernie and Jane Hunter first plant roots in Marlborough
• 1985: sparkling wine production begins, guided by Dr. Tony Jordan
• 1986: initial acclaim at the London Sunday Times Wine Festival
• 1997: MiruMiru debuts at New Zealand House in London
• 2025: purchase of a 24-hectare Waihopai Valley vineyard; Jane Hunter begins handing the reins to James and Edward Macdonald

Jane Hunter CNZM OBE is Executive Director, James Macdonald is Chief Operating Officer and Senior Winemaker, and Ed Macdonald is Chief Financial Officer. Jane Hunter was born in South Australia, where her father was a contract grape grower, and gained a degree in Agricultural Science at the University of Adelaide. She joined the New Zealand wine industry in 1983 as National viticulturist with Montana Wines, served on the Wine Institute Board, and was a foundation Director of the New Zealand Wine Guild. She received an OBE in 1993, was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2009, and in 2013 became the first woman inducted into the New Zealand Wine Hall of Fame. In 2018 she was inducted as a Fellow of New Zealand Winegrowers. James Macdonald, Jane's nephew and Peter Macdonald's son, completed his degree in Oenology and Viticulture at Lincoln University and worked many vintages overseas. Ed Macdonald, Jane's younger nephew, joined the family business in early 2015 after completing a Business Degree at Victoria University and spending 18 months working in London; he was the company's general manager in October 2023.

• Jane Hunter CNZM OBE: Executive Director
• James Macdonald: Chief Operating Officer and Senior Winemaker
• Ed Macdonald: Chief Financial Officer; joined in early 2015
• Jane Hunter: National viticulturist with Montana Wines from 1983; OBE 1993; CNZM 2009; New Zealand Wine Hall of Fame 2013; Fellow of New Zealand Winegrowers 2018

In March 2025 Hunter's bought a 24-hectare vineyard in the Waihopai Valley, Marlborough, with Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc plantings; its Pinot Noir is to be a key component of MiruMiru. The Sauvignon Blanc is made from estate-grown fruit from the company's Wairau Valley vineyards. The Chardonnay comes from vineyards in the Rapaura and Omaka sub-regions that have supplied it for many years, and the Pinot Noir from vineyards in the Southern Valleys sub-region of Marlborough. The Offshoot Sauvignon Blanc comes from vineyards near the winery owned by Jane Hunter, and the Offshoot Chardonnay from 30-year-old vines. A trellis at the front of the estate was initially planted as Cabernet Sauvignon by Ernie Hunter in the early 1980s, and an olive grove at the rear of the winery dates from 1996. All estate vineyards and the winery are SWNZ certified sustainable, and Hunter's is also certified by Appellation Marlborough Wine, with its Sauvignon Blanc carrying both marks. Forty percent of the vineyard is either organic or herbicide free; weed sprays have been replaced with under-vine weeding, and grape marc is composted. A native garden was planted on the dry Wairau Plains in 2002, and in 2021 a nearby wetland was restored. Hunter's bottles on site; between 2023 and 2024 it reduced its bottle weight from 420g to 385g, and over 95 percent of its bottles are lightweight.

• 24-hectare Waihopai Valley vineyard bought in 2025, with Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc plantings
• Sauvignon Blanc: estate-grown fruit from Wairau Valley vineyards
• Chardonnay: Rapaura and Omaka sub-regions; Pinot Noir: Southern Valleys sub-region
• 100 percent of estate vineyards and winery SWNZ certified sustainable; Appellation Marlborough Wine certified
• 40 percent of the vineyard organic or herbicide free; native garden planted 2002; wetland restored 2021

Hunter's groups its wines in three ranges: the Estate Range, MiruMiru and Offshoot. The Hunter's range covers Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, Rosé and Pinot Noir. MiruMiru is named after the te reo Māori word for 'bubbles.' The MiruMiru range comprises MiruMiru Non-Vintage, MiruMiru Rosé Non Vintage, a vintage MiruMiru (the 2022 is Pinot Noir 40 percent, Chardonnay 30 percent and Pinot Meunier 30 percent) and MiruMiru Reserve (the 2020 is Pinot Noir 77 percent and Chardonnay 23 percent). The Offshoot label represents the next generation of Hunter's; it uses the best grapes from the vineyard to experiment, and the range includes a Sauvignon Blanc, a Chardonnay and a Pinot Noir. At the Decanter World Wine Awards 2025, MiruMiru Brut NV won a Gold medal with 95 points.

• Still wines: Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, Rosé, Pinot Noir
• MiruMiru: Non-Vintage, Rosé Non Vintage, vintage (2022) and Reserve (2020)
• Offshoot: Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir
• MiruMiru Brut NV: Gold, 95 points, Decanter World Wine Awards 2025

Of the generational change, James Macdonald put it this way: 'This is not about reinventing the wheel. It’s about carrying forward the integrity, independence, and spirit of Hunter’s in a way that speaks to the next generation.' The family credits James Macdonald with a focus on ensuring that Hunter's wine styles 'are evolving yet remaining classic examples of the best that Marlborough has to offer.' For the 2026 Sauvignon Blanc, the grapes were harvested over a three-week period; the juice was pressed off and settled, fermented in stainless steel tanks using wild and indigenous yeasts, and given extended lees contact before a brief period of ageing and estate bottling. The 2025 Chardonnay was hand-picked, pressed without the addition of sulphur, fermented with indigenous yeasts in 500-litre French oak puncheons, put through malolactic fermentation for 80 percent of the wine, and aged on its lees in puncheon for 12 months. The 2024 Pinot Noir was hand harvested, fermented for two weeks before gentle pressing, and aged for 12 months in French oak barrels. For MiruMiru Non-Vintage, no sulphur is added, so subtle oxidation occurs, the juice is fermented in stainless steel tanks before full malolactic fermentation, the Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier parcels are kept separate until just before tirage, and the wine spends 18 months on lees.

• Sauvignon Blanc: stainless steel, wild and indigenous yeasts, extended lees contact, estate bottled
• Chardonnay: hand-picked, fermented in 500-litre French oak puncheons, 80 percent malolactic, 12 months on lees
• Pinot Noir: hand harvested, 12 months in French oak barrels
• MiruMiru Non-Vintage: full malolactic fermentation, parcels blended just before tirage, 18 months on lees

The Cellar Door at 603 Rapaura Road, Blenheim, is housed in the original farmhouse on the winery site and, as of October 2026, opens Wednesday to Sunday, 9.30am to 4.30pm. Tastings carry a fee of $20 per person and can be taken indoors, in the garden, or on the farmhouse veranda, and a light lunch is available. Visitors arrive past a half-hectare native garden of Wairau Plains dryland planting, and the olive grove supplies an estate-grown olive oil sold at the Cellar Door.

• Cellar Door: 603 Rapaura Road, Blenheim, in the original farmhouse
• Open Wednesday to Sunday, 9.30am to 4.30pm (as of October 2026)
• Half-hectare native garden; estate-grown olive oil

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://hunters.co.nz/pages/our-family, https://hunters.co.nz/blogs/news/a-new-era-at-hunter-s, https://hunters.co.nz/blogs/news/hunter-s-wines-expands-with-new-waihopai-valley-vineyard, https://hunters.co.nz/pages/mirumiru, https://hunters.co.nz/pages/offshoot, https://hunters.co.nz/pages/sustainability, https://hunters.co.nz/pages/cellar-door, https://hunters.co.nz/products.json?limit=250, and the product pages https://hunters.co.nz/products/hunter-s-sauvignon-blanc-2026, https://hunters.co.nz/products/hunters-pinot-noir-2024, https://hunters.co.nz/products/hunter-s-chardonnay-2025, https://hunters.co.nz/products/hunters-mirumiru%E2%84%A2-non-vintage. Secondary sources: New Zealand Winegrowers (https://www.nzwine.com/en/winery/hunter-s-wines; media release of 6 November 2018, https://www.nzwine.com/media/10182/fellows-honoured-at-the-new-zealand-wine-awards.pdf), The Drinks Business (27 October 2023, https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2023/10/price-wins-out-every-time-says-marlborough-sauvignon-blanc-producer-hunters/) and Decanter (12 December 2025, https://www.decanter.com/wine-news/dwwa-winners-tasting-in-the-heart-of-south-korea-571823/). Last verified 2026-10-19. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.