He planted some of these vines while he was still at school. Now he makes the wines — and his proudest work is putting the Waikato on the map.
Alex's wine life began right here, working the Takapoto Estate vines while at school — and falling for an industry he knew nothing about. A Viticulture and Oenology degree at Lincoln followed, his university holidays spent back in these rows, his savings spent at the wine shop in Cambridge, tasting his way around the world bottle by bottle.
He learned the big end of the industry in Marlborough, then worked harvests across Australia and California. In late 2018 came a call from home from his mentor Andy, Takapoto's founding winemaker. Alex came back to help with a harvest. He's still here.
Wild ferments that arrive in layers, weeks of patience on skins, barrels chosen by the forest the oak grew in — slow-grown, tight-grained, letting the wine breathe without being overpowered. "Sometimes it takes a lot more knowledge and guts to do nothing."
People say you shouldn't grow grapes in the Waikato — some won't even taste them, until they do. The Crossing Point Rosé, Chardonnay and Red have each been named among the top ten in New Zealand. Taste them at The Cabana on Saturdays.
