Holdaway Estate

The Holdaway family own eight vineyards (totalling 182 hectares) in the Lower Wairau and Dillons Point subregions of Marlborough. They are vanguards of regenerative viticulture and highly respected in the region, being widely regarded to grow some of the finest fruit Marlborough has to offer.

The Holdaway’s have been farming land in Dillons Point, Marlborough for generations. They were among the first settlers in Nelson, arriving from England on a treacherous journey by sea in 1842. Today, Alan Holdaway and his sons, Richard and Robert, continue the family legacy. Among their many environmental initiatives is an impressive commitment to soil health. Decision-making for the Holdaways always centres on putting the ecosystem first. “If we get that thriving, the rest will follow”, says Robert, who has a PhD in Forest Ecology from Cambridge University. They sow cover crops and allow grass to grow between the vines, resulting in over 50 species of herbs and flowers which help promote insect life.

As well as trialling a 100% biological programme, negating the need for any form of fungicide, the Holdaway’s have also embarked on a rewilding project at a 2,300-hectare property in the Upper Wairau. Here, they enable the regeneration of native forests, which sequesters carbon and provides habitat for threatened native species. As a result, the Holdaway Estate is substantially carbon negative.