Yakutin Family Wines is a small 1 hectare vineyard, marked by a relic brick chimney on Matakana Road, with the aim to produce distinctive wines reflective of the place. Based on Old World traditions, they believe that wine is a true expression of the land, people and time.
Oleg Yakutin, the vigneron at Yakutin Family Wines, is the first Kazakhstani winemaker in New Zealand. Kazakhstan can be considered as a ‘very Old World’ wine country as grapes were first grown there in 700AD.
Long before this, Kazakhstanis’ benefited from the wine trade by their spot midway on the Silk Road trade route between Ancient Greece and China.
After receiving a degree in Marketing and Business Administration, Oleg’s 15-year career sent him around the world where he developed a strong appreciation for fine dining and world class wines.
Wanting to make a change and try something new, Oleg and his wife Tanya decided to move to New Zealand, starting their new life in Takapuna, then making the shift to Matakana in 2014 when Oleg had joined Ransom Wines in time for the stunning 2015 vintage.
It was due to those years of dedicated hands-on learning under the vines and in the winery that enabled him to take charge of the Hawks Nest Vineyard in 2017, setting forth the Yakutin Family Wines journey.
The 2018 vintage features a special label called the “TAMGALY Series” a tribute to the great history and traditions of Oleg and Tanya’s homeland – Kazakhstan. Tamgaly is a Bronze Age petroglyph site in the Almaty region, Kazakhstan where Oleg grew up.
Learn more about the Tamgaly Petroglyphs in this Wikipedia article: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamgaly
The wines from Oleg truly showcase how unique, creative and extra special Yakutin Family Wines are. This release epitomizes what it means to be ‘hand crafted’ and these wines are truly a boutique treat.
At the moment they are offering 3 wines from the 2018 vintage: Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc and Malbec all priced at $28.00 rrp.
Currently they are also working on a premium range to be introduced next year, and in 2019 they made a Rose wine, which will be bottled in a couple of weeks time.
Yakutin Wines are but 100% organic both in the vineyard and winery. Oleg believes, a wine is made in vineyard; He spends a lot of time in field and pays a lot of attention to details.
Oleg does not provide wine notes on purpose, as he believes that people have a right for their own opinion. he said “You either like this wine or you don’t, regardless of what I have to say about it.”
As a reference, Oleg and team work closely and share the same vineyard and winemaking principles and philosophies with Heron’s Flight and Gillman. His winemaking mentor and “Godfather” is Danny Schuster.
As yet they do not have a cellar door, or and online shop but they will ship nation wide in New Zealand – Private message Oleg via social media for contact / orders / shipping details: