Dad inspires winery owner's love of wine

by Ann Packer

A couple with strong Eastbourne links has bought Martinborough-based Alana Wines.

Glen Molloy and his wife Karen have taken over online sales of the company developed by Mike and Adele Cornish over the last 30 years. He and two of his teenage children run the business from a Seaview warehouse where the kids help by hand labelling the wine and distributing to local buyers. There’s even a designer in the team, with daughter Tiana creating labels, most recently for a Marlborough Pinot Noir Rosé from the lower Wairau valley which was awarded a gold medal at the New Zealand International Wine Show in 2022.

It’s a return to his business and entrepreneurial beginnings for Glen, who spent 20 years in sales and marketing with companies like Contact Energy and Powerco. He and Karen then helped set up Kolkata-based Freeset, a business assisting women trapped in sex slavery to buy their freedom through small businesses recycling saris and sewing cloth bags. He says that introduced him to international markets and branding.

Growing up in Mahina Bay as one of four brothers, Glen learned about wine through his dad John Molloy who built a walk-in wine cellar.

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“We were taught to select a wine for the evening meal, making sure it paired nicely with the food, and he would test us from time to time asking us to taste a wine to see if we could pick the variety – with extra points for identifying where it was from.”

He has many fond memories of travelling as a kid, inevitably ending up at a beautiful vineyard tasting new wines. He says offering hand labelling not only reduces Alana’s costs but also allows them to personalise their product for customers who want to put their business or family name on the bottles –something bigger businesses cannot do.

Glen is keen on expanding his business by reaching out to other winegrowing regions to expand Alana’s offerings – “a sauvignon from Marlborough tastes different from one grown in Martinborough, for example.”

He has also teamed up with local business Karamu coffee so customers can buy freshly roasted coffee beans with their wine.

Until recently the pastor at Petone Baptist church, Glen is always on the lookout for new partnerships with charities making a difference in people’s lives.

His latest, in association with the New Zealand Red Cross, is “Support Ukraine” wine – for each 12-bottle case of Lumiere Pinot Noir, 2022, Alana donates $36 towards Red Cross work with families recovering from the trauma of war.

Still involved with the Baptist Union, especially working with young people, Glen is currently involved with the massive task of bringing together around 2000 young people at Feilding for an Easter camp.

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Call 04 939 2366 www.jaglegal.co.nz

Applications For Grants

Closing date: 15 June 2023

Applications from Eastbourne-Bays groups are invited. Application forms are available on the website (see below) or from Eastbourne Librar y.

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Faith in the Community

Some thoughts for Easter..

I’ve always been confused about Easter. Not the death and resurrection of Jesus, but just about everything else relating to how we observe Easter. Easter messaging reflects spring and fertility. Not quite right here as days are getting shorter and mature animals are growing their winter coats. Then the chickens, spring flowers and Easter bunnies. Fine for a Northern Hemisphere spring but out of place in our Southern Hemisphere Aotearoa New Zealand, where we’re already feeling the autumn chill and our deciduous trees are beginning to shed their leaves.

Okiwi Volunteer Driving Service

Okiwi Volunteer Driving Service

Provides transport to appointments in the Hutt Valley, and Wellington for all Eastbourne’s older residents.

Provides transport to appointments in the Hutt Valley, and Wellington for all Eastbourne’s older residents.

Then, there’s the timing of Easter which, unlike Christmas, moves about a bit. Easter Sunday is the first Sunday after the full moon that occurs on or after the spring equinox. There’s that spring, Northern Hemisphere, thing again… Perhaps we need to develop our own Easter traditions but, in doing so, not lose the true value of the real Easter message. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 1 Peter 1:3.

May Easter be a time you look forward with hope and reach out to embrace new beginnings.

Our ‘20-Minute Volunteers’ are also available for small jobs around the home.

Our ‘20-Minute Volunteers’ are also available for small jobs around the home.

Okiwi Volunteer Driving Service

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Find out more about us at www.okiwi.org.nz

Phone Kim the co-ordinator on

Provides transport to appointments in the Hutt Valley, and Wellington for all Eastbourne’s older residents.

Phone Pippa

Phone Pippa the co-ordinator on 0800 654 942

APPLICATIONS FOR EASTBOURNE FREEMASONS’ SCHOLARSHIP

Closing date 15 May 2023

St Ronan’s: Services Sun 9.30am - informal 1st and 3rd, traditional 2nd and 4th. Easter Sunday Services 9 April 6.30am ‘Sonrise’ Service on beach, by RSA, hot-cross buns & hot drinks after. Communion Service 9.30am at St Ronan’s church. E:office@stronans.org.nz

W:www.stronans.org.nz the co-ordinator on 0800 654 942

Our ‘20-Minute Volunteers’ are also available for small jobs around the home.

Find out more about us at www.okiwi.org.nz or on our Facebook page

Phone Pippa the co-ordinator on 0800 654 942

This $5,500 scholarship is available to students who have distinguished themselves during a minimum of three years tertiary study and who have lived in Eastbourne for a minimum of five years during their life.

Application forms are available from the website www.ebct.org.nz

Contact: Gaby Brown 021 179 5311

St Alban’s: Wellesley College Sun 10am communion with guest vicar. Special activities for children during term time. 1st Thurs only, 10am communion at St Ronan’s with guest vicar. No services at Wellesley over Easter. Our Easter Sunday Anglican service will be at 11am at San Antonio church. E:office@stalbanschurch.nz

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San Antonio: Vigil Mass, Sat 5.30pm at San Antonio church, Eastbourne. Mass, Sun 9.30am and 5.30pm at Sacred Heart church, Petone. Easter Sunday Mass, 9.30am at San Antonio church. No Easter Saturday Vigil Mass

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