Ata Rangi

In Te Reo Māori, Ata Rangi means “dawn sky” or “new beginning”. It is a name that honours the land and reflects the work carried out by Ata Rangi, a small family-owned organic winery with a reputation for producing some of New Zealand's reference point Pinot Noir.

Ata Rangi was founded by Clive Paton (pictured above) in 1980, with the first vines planted on a small, stony sheep paddock at the edge of the Martinborough Village on the North Island. Today, the team farm around 32 hectares, spread over 14 vineyards clustered around the village of Martinborough. The sites feature the characteristic Martinborough Terrace profile of 300-600mm of shallow silt-loam overlaying 25-30 metre-deep alluvial gravels.

Ata Rangi’s home vineyards attained full organic status in 2014. Weeds are managed with under-vine weeding tools, with a combination of cultivation and mowing. Vineyard biodiversity is enhanced by a mixture of native and exotic shelterbelts and inter-row wildflower planting that provide havens for native predatory and beneficial insects. They make compost on site from grape stalks, skins, and yeast lees, mixed with seaweed, forest floor duff and harvested green crops. This mix is utilised in the vineyard to make compost tea for vine health and boost organic matter within the soil.