and they’ve got growing sales.” Ngatarawa nurtured a strong sense of family among its staff. Those who worked for the company for many years included winemaker Peter Gough, public relations and Hawke’s Bay sales manager Jo Smith, who retired in June, and cellar door manager Karen Inglis. As of mid-July, Mission had offered jobs to at least eight of the 19 staff. Alwyn Corban founded the company with his then business partner Garry Glazebrook in 1981. Pastoral farmers, the Glazebrook family leased the land and former racing stables to establish the vineyard and winery in what is now known as the Bridge Pa Triangle, west of Hastings. Meaning “between the ridges”, Ngatarawa was the first winery to establish in the area and as others followed the Corban lead, the triangle has developed a reputation
for top quality wines. “We pioneered it and it’s proven to be successful,” says Corban of the sub-region. He considers that and New Zealand household recognition for the Stables brand to be Ngatarawa’s two greatest achievements.” Another is the addition of a significant chapter to the Corban winemaking narrative. The fourth generation of their family to make wine in New Zealand, the cousins extended a Corban legacy of service to the industry, innovative winemaking, generosity of spirit and steadfast commitment to community. The first in the New Zealand line of Corban winemakers, Assid Abraham Corban emigrated from Lebanon in 1892. He initially worked as a hawker, and his wife and two children joined him in New Zealand in 1898. The couple set up shop in Auckland’s
Queen Street and subsequently moved to Henderson where they established a small vineyard and orchard. The vineyard, like the family, flourished. “They had another eight children in New Zealand, so that made 10 in the family. And so the second generation just grew with them, and then the third generation included Dad, Alexander Annis Corban.” Alwyn Corban started his career with a first vintage in Gisborne in 1973. Having gained a maths degree from Auckland University, he then studied for his postgraduate diploma in biotechnology at Massey University. That, he says, “was really to get some prerequisites out of the way before I went to UC Davis and did a master’s there. I then came to Napier and worked for McWilliams for four years with
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Evan Ward, and Bob Knappstein was our boss. “So I was there four years and then Kim Salonius [of Eskdale Winegrowers] introduced Garry Glazebook and we set up a partnership and started at Bridge Pa in 1981. We leased the land and buildings off the Glazebrooks to start with. We owned the posts and the wires and the vines and the tanks and all that sort of stuff. “The partnership continued for seven years. We then formed a company and bought the land and the buildings. When we formed the company, Brian became involved as a director and minority shareholder and then in 1998 the Glazebrooks sold their shareholding to Brian and myself.” As Corban points out Stables has become a household name in New Zealand. The company has also developed its exports, focusing mainly on China, the USA, Ireland and Australia. Corban was the driver in establishing the Hawke’s Bay Wine Marketing Group to promote the region’s wines into China. The eight wineries still involved were in China in May, holding master classes and showcasing their wines alongside the NZTE and New Zealand Winegrowers stands. Three comparative tastings have also been held in China, successfully pitching Hawke’s Bay styles of Syrah, Chardonnay and, most recently,
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NZ WINEGROWER AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2017
www.agrimm.co.nz
Alistair Pullin 021 590 329