Tom Dixon
Tom Dixon is a Winemaker at Villa Maria’s Marlborough Winery. After spending a few years chasing winters, snowboarding, he finally decided to take his ever-growing passion for wine to the next level by pursuing a career in making it, so he moved to Hawkes Bay to study Winemaking. His first vintage was with Vidal Wines in 2010 and has spent time gaining experience with other notable New Zealand wineries. He joined Villa Maria in 2012 as a Cellar Hand in Auckland before doing a stint as Nightshift Pinot Winemaker in 2014. He was then given the opportunity to relocate to Marlborough permanently in 2015 as the Assistant winemaker before moving into the role of Winemaker.
Nikolai St George
Originally from the King Country, Nikolai’s winemaking career has taken him around New Zealand and the world – including stints in Chile, France, Australia and the United States. Head Winemaker for Cloudy Bay Vineyards.
Originally from the King Country, Nikolai’s winemaking career has taken him around New Zealand and the world – including stints in Chile, France, Australia and the United States. Head Winemaker for Cloudy Bay Vineyards.
Kate Bennett
A chance summer job working in the vineyards of Marlborough, followed by a vintage in California "to see what winemaking would be like", has led Kate to spend the last 20 years in the wine industry. Now the winemaker at Rose Family Estate, she has worked in California, Oregon, Burgundy, Tasmania, Hawkes Bay and of course, Marlborough.
A chance summer job working in the vineyards of Marlborough, followed by a vintage in California "to see what winemaking would be like", has led Kate to spend the last 20 years in the wine industry. Now the winemaker at Rose Family Estate, she has worked in California, Oregon, Burgundy, Tasmania, Hawkes Bay and of course, Marlborough.