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Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/59614
The differences in Jane's role today, to that 30 years ago are, as one can expect, "hugely different". "The wine industry in New Zealand has changed so much and we've grown from being a very small domestic-focused winery to one that exports 85 percent of its makings. We have a vastly bigger intake of grapes and we have a bigger number of staff so my role today has changed to more of an overseeing management role. I've moved from my viticulture role to making sure that the brand is evolving. My time is spent doing promotional work and maintaining our brand image in New Zealand, Australia and around the world. I'm not so involved in the everyday workings of the vineyard anymore but overseeing and pulling all the strands together." Jane has amassed an impressive set of accolades including an O.B.E, an Honorary Doctorate of Science, the prestigious International Women in Wine Award (UK). In the 2009 New Year's honours Jane was bestowed with a CNZM (Companion to the New Zealand Order of Merit) for services to viticulture and was named the recipient of an annual KEA - Trade and Enterprise World Class New Zealand award, winning the manufacturing category. So what has been Hunters' key to success… other than their outstanding wine of course? "We've maintained our family identity," Jane tells. "We've stayed focused and not waivered on our quality not quantity theme that we've run with through the years. So many of the people who are distributing our wines overseas have been with us for 20 or more years so the relationships we share are strong. We've stuck with each other especially during the last few years which have been tough on both sides. "We've also made a conscious effort over the last five years to bring in a strata of younger people to the team. We are aware that most of our customers are younger than we are and we need to know what they're thinking. The way that younger people use social media has to be captured as well." You can find Hunters participating through Facebook and Twitter although Jane still doesn't understand "what it's all about". And the next 30 years will see much of the same development and innovation as the company continues to stay at the forefront of its industry. And with its progress there will be some major changes as three of its longest serving members of the team will be looking to lighten their workload. "We're conscious that there will be a partial handover stage to the younger generation," says Jane. "Our Chief Winemaker who has been with the company for 22 years, Gary Duke and my brother-in-law, Peter Macdonald, General Manager/Export Manager and myself. We're much of the same age group and probably looking to, them play more golf and me, having some time off. Not that we would all walk away but there's got to be that kind of succession. We'll also be concentrating on our signature grape varieties going forward and I see more room for our sparkling wine production to increase which is exciting. But overall we'll be more or less continuing on the same path but always keeping our eyes and ears open to any changes we could make." www.hunters.co.nz RECOMMENDED WINES Hunter's Marlborough MiruMiru™ NV Red Knot McLaren Vale G.S.M (Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre) Hunter's Marlborough 2011 Sauvignon Blanc