Imagine this. You’ve reached the edge the world. You have no idea what lies beyond. And you keep going. When Captain Cook came to New Zealand he was traveling on gut instinct. A conviction that beyond the horizon there was something great waiting. He must have really loved this place because he named our coastline Cape Palliser after his revered patron and fellow explorer Admiral Hugh Palliser. This is now the region where we make our wine. Great wines that deliver on the promise of standing on the edge of the world and then going that little bit further. Palliser is one of New Zealand’s premier wine brands. We’re the mavericks who gambled on taking farmland and turning into vineyards. A mad idea that turned out to be a groundbreaking idea. You can’t be afraid to push the boundaries and produce great unique wines, That’s why Palliser Estate Wines are now known and enjoyed around the world. The names Palliser and Pencarrow connect firmly to our land, they honour our region and the pioneering spirit on which NZ is founded. Our Pencarrow range takes its name from the Pencarrow Heads and Lighthouse which is the southern most end of Palliser Bay linking the Wairarapa coast to Wellington, New Zealands capital city. The Pencarrow lighthouse protects this coastline and the entry to Wellington Harbour. It was the first permanent lighthouse in New Zealand and for some time in the 1800's was run by the first and only ever female lighthouse keeper in New Zealand. Mary Jane Bennett not only ''manned' the Pencarrow Lighthouse solo for 10 years, she did so while raising her 5 children. Founded in 1984 when we first planted our vines we were amongst the first to make wine in our region and one of the first in New Zealand to adopt sustainable vineyard and winemaking practices. Palliser Estate is proudly Kiwi owned and today our vineyards stretch across 72 hectares of the premium Martinborough river terrace. Martinborough is a picturesque boutique wine village that produces less than 1% of the nation’s wine, the region is constantly punching above its weight in quality, renowned for complex, elegant wines of rare depth. It is the people that make Palliser great, and ours seem to stay with us for a long time. We’re a small team that give our wine undivided attention. Our Winemaker of 30 years retired in December 2018 and handed the reigns to his then Assistant Winemaker/Viticulturist Guy McMaster who now continues pursuing the development of our wines and organic farming. Pip Goodwin our fearless leader, after more than ten years in the corporate world as an Accountant / Management Consultant took the leap doing vintages in NZ and USA followed by completing the formal part of her winemaking training at Lincoln University. Pip joined Palliser in 2004 and hasn’t looked back. Our Administration Manager Carla started at Palliser in 1992 . Back then, Carla did everything. She looked after the cellar door. She did cleaning. She did gardening. She drove the forklift. Over the last 25 years we have grown but we are still supported by our small, loyal and dedicated vineyard crew, the unsung heroes of our team. They meticulously tend to our vines throughout the year in all elements to ensure vine health and fruit quality is optimised. For more information please visit www.palliser.co.nz.