Winging it...

Gillian and Gareth Maclachlan of Little Wing met while interning in California then worked in wine regions around the world before finding their vinous nirvana in the south of France 10 years ago. They became obsessed with syrah and marsanne, and when the chance arose to buy an oceanfront vineyard on Waiheke Island, they leapt in, planted syrah and marsanne, and today they’re well and truly Rhone Rangers! The vineyard is a natural bowl shape, with steep slopes of heavy clay. The vines are hand-worked and managed organically, while the wines are made with minimal intervention. “Our ultimate goal is to let the grapes, vintage and site express themselves in the finished wine,” says Gillian.