Ata Rangi, meaning “dawn sky” or “new beginning” is a small New Zealand winery with a big reputation for serious Pinot Noir. Located at the southern end of the North Island, it is owned and managed by a family trio – Clive Paton, his wife Phyll and his sister Alison. Clive planted his first vines on a small, stony sheep paddock at the edge of the Martinborough village in 1980 as one of a handful of people who pioneered winegrowing in the area.
Pinot Noir is undoubtedly their flagship wine, and in 2010 was honoured with the inaugural Tipuranga Teitei o Aotearoa or “Grand Cru of New Zealand”. With a skilled team in place, including dynamic winemaker Helen Masters, Clive now has more time to focus on his commitment to conservation and to the Ata Rangi alliance with Project Crimson. Ata Rangi is well established in 25 international markets and has an enviable reputation as one of the New World’s most respected Pinot Noir producers.
Ata Rangi is one of only a handful of ISO 14001 accredited wineries in the world. This management standard, achieved over 15 years ago, calls for continual commitment to improve on practises which impact on the environment.
The vineyard and winery are also founding members of SWNZ (Sustainable Winegrowing of New Zealand) – a voluntary, industry-wide initiative developed to provide a ‘best practice’ model of environmental practices in both vineyard and winery. Ata Rangi is currently in transition to fully organic status.
Recently Ata Rangi were awarded Five Stars in The Great New Zealand Pinot Noir Classification 2012 by Matthew Jukes’ (UK) and Tyson Stelzer (Australia) The Fifth Great New Zealand Pinot Noir Classification is Matthew Jukes’ (UK) and Tyson Stelzer’s (Australia) annual classification of New Zealand’s best Pinot Noir producers.
As well as Pinot Noir Ata Rangi also produce Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, and Riesling, a Summer Rose, and ‘Celebre’, a Bordeaux blend. To find out more about Ata Rangi and purchase their wine online visit their Website or Like their Facebook Page.