Huia
About Huia
Huia Vineyards is a family-owned winery based in Marlborough’s Wairau Valley. Claire and Mike Allan bought the initial vineyard land in 1990 and launched Huia in 1996, with a focus on handcrafting wines that express the richness of Marlborough grapes from the vineyard to the table. This quest for quality is represented by the Huia feather, a symbol of dignity, wisdom and elegance. The Allans are acutely aware of the need to preserve the magnificent environment that provides their unique wine. Huia is has been fully certified organic with BioGro New Zealand since 2011 and since 2009 has been in certification with Demeter Bio-Dynamics. Certified Organic
About Claire and Mike Allan
Mike and Claire Allan were studying winemaking in Adelaide in 1990 when they scored vintage positions in Marlborough, Mike at Cloudy Bay and Claire at Corbans. They immediately fell in love with the beauty and energy of the region, and couldn’t resist when they saw an ad in the local paper for a block of land on an old apple orchard in Rapaura that “looked like heaven”. It took four years’ toil to get the apples out and the land ready for planting what has now become Huia. During that time, Mike deepened his relationship with the region at Cloudy Bay and Vavasour, while Claire went from Corbans to Lawson’s Dry Hills. By 1996, they had the estate up and running. “It was the vitality of the wines we tasted when we got to Marlborough that told us we were somewhere special,” says Mike, accounting for the motivation that got the place to the great shape it’s in today.