From Kazakhstan with love…

Oleg Yakutin, owner of Yakutin Family Wines, is the first Kazakhstani winemaker in New Zealand. A corporate marketing career in a past life fed his love for fine food and wine, so when the time came for a sea change, Oleg and wife Tanya decided to move to New Zealand. Oleg joined Ransom Wines in Matakana in 2015 before starting up Yakutin Family Wines, a 1-hectare vineyard marked by an ancient brick chimney in Warkworth, in 2017. Oleg’s 2018 vintage is named the TAMGALY Series, a tribute to Kazakhstan, where wine has been enjoyed for over 1300 years. Offering tiny amounts of hand-crafted chardonnay, cabernet franc and malbec, Yakutin bring a little Eastern European excellence to these shores.