Allan Scott wines, with Josh Scott

Few can lay claim to having worked every grape harvest in Marlborough, but Allan Scott can. When Allan and his wife Catherine decided to settle here in 1973, he planted the region’s first vineyard. Cathy’s family has lived in Marlborough for five generations, but Allan was new to the area. He took a job with Montana working in their new vineyards. In 1980 he was head-hunted by Corbans and oversaw the establishment of their Marlborough vineyards. He became their senior Viticultural Manager, with responsibility for the company’s entire national grape intake, and part of the winemaking team.

His experience soon led to the establishment of his own business - Allan Scott Family Winemakers. Contract grape growing and a busy viticultural consultancy were the early foundation of the company, with Allan being instrumental in the development of many of the region’s vineyards along with localised vineyard husbandry techniques.

In June 2011 Allan was awarded a Queen’s Birthday honour for services to the New Zealand wine industry. Today the business is till at the forefront of quality Marlborough wines, and the business is now managed by Allan’s children Josh and Sara. Future planning, research and development and staff empowerment are core values they are instilling that will ensure the next generations of wine lovers, love Allan Scott Family wines.

Josh has been around the wine business all his life. Having grown up just across the road from the family winery in stunning Marlborough, during school holidays Josh spent many hours helping prune the vines, bud rubbing or even lending a hand in the Cellar Door. It’s no wonder that from an early age he took an interest in the fermentation process.

This passion for ‘the life of wine’ led Josh down the path of studying towards his Diploma in Viticulture and Wine production at Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology. After three years of study (and work), Josh graduated and decided to test his skills in some of the most famous wine regions in the world.

We had a few questions for Josh to get the inside line on life inside one of our best-loved wine brands.

What are the most important things your parents taught you?

My parents taught me that nothing worth doing comes easy. Hard work, persistence, and integrity were non-negotiable in our house. Mum was very tough, but fair and wanted us to give everything 100%. From Dad, I learnt the entrepreneurial spirit - take risks, work hard. Those lessons shaped us in business and in life.

What’s good and bad about working in a family business?

The good - You’re building something together with the people you care about most, and you get to celebrate the wins as a family. There’s a pride in seeing your family’s name on bottles all over the world, still gives me a buzz.

The bad - Is that the line between family and business blurs. Discussions at the table aren’t just personal, they are strategic. But in the end, the trust and shared passion outweigh the tricky bits.

When you were born, did your birth certificate state “vineyard worker”?

It should have. I literally grew up among vines, tanks, and barrels, saw Marlborough develop from Grass roots to the industry it is today - the vineyard was my playground. 

Is there anything you’d like to have a go at, that you’ve not tried yet?

a) In winemaking: I’d like to dive deeper into non-traditional ferments and formats - things that challenge the definition of wine and how people enjoy it. There’s still so much untapped creativity... I love to try different things...

b) Outside of that: I’ve always loved adventure, love to do Te Araroa... when I can take three months off to do it, I'll jump at it!

If I ask people who are their successes, I get a long list of things – but just as importantly what is the one thing you wouldn’t do again – a notable failure you’ve learnt from?

Been a few bad calls, but biggest disaster was Moa Beer, I could write a novel on not what not to do in business, but what I learnt over those years has hugely aided where we are now at Scott Family Winemakers. The cliché about silver lining is so true here.

What’s on the calendar when you have down time (is there any)?

Adventure...love to get outdoors. At the moment my Daughter and I are knocking off all the prominent peaks in Marlborough.

What is it about wine that brings you the most joy?

Every bottle has a story. It is funny how much information you remember about a bottle of wine, even going back through library stock. you remember the harvest, the people, the good things and the bad things

What’s your personal definition of success in what you do?

For me, success is when I can look at what we’ve built, obviously Mum and Dad have done 99% of all the work and built this amazing platform for my Sister Sara and I to launch off. Also knowing the business has integrity, sustainability, and joy behind it. It’s not just for profit or growth, it’s also about the people — family, staff, partners — feel proud to be part of it. 

Who would you most like to share a glass of your wine with (and why)?

Probably with my grandparents — apart from my mum’s mother, I never really knew them. It would be amazing for them to see what has been achieved through their hard work and perseverance. Their work ethic and vision, from what my parents have told me, still shine through in the business and in what we do today.

Glengarry stocks a great range from Allan Scott Family Winemakers. Here, we highlight a couple of whites from their extensive selection.

Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2025 has a classic perfume of lime, green capsicum, passionfruit, blackcurrant and cut grass. Juicy and vibrant with bright acidity and bold, punchy flavours.

Kekerengu Sauvignon Blanc 2023 comes from coastal vineyards that are 70km south of the family base on Jacksons Road in Blenheim. Herbaceous notes of crushed herbs, lemongrass and pea pod. pea pod. A saline, zesty palate has great length to the finish.

Marlborough Chardonnay 2024 is a rich, ripe style, with plenty of toasty oak, creamy texture balancing the fresh citrus, apple and peach fruit flavours. Dry on the finish that has good persistence.