Meet Our Winemakers: Kate Bennett

Growing up on a farm in Kaikoura, where the stainless steel tanks are full of milk and DB was the drink of choice; winemaker, Kate Bennett never imagined she would pursue a career in wine. It’s now been 22 years since her first vintage in California and she has never looked back.

Having worked in Hawkes Bay, Tasmania, Oregon and Burgundy – Kate has a wealth of international experience and is now fully embedded in Marlborough as a major part of our Wairau River winemaking team.

Recent projects and highlights

Kate has been carefully working away on some incredible aromatic wines, some of which have just been released for you to try and enjoy. When pressed for her favourite wine, Kate said “I love the Albarino. It’s such a treat to work with this variety, as it is not widely planted in Marlborough, or New Zealand for that matter. This vintage, 2024, was exceptional, and the fruit couldn’t have been better – such a credit to Hamish and the team!”  Kate told us that Albarino pairs perfectly with seafood and reminds her of being near the ocean. Now we’re all dreaming of a lovely glass of Albarino by the sea.

Another highlight for Kate is making the Wairau River Reserve Sauvignon. “It’s a chance to take our most amazing fruit, from established vines in the most classic growing area of Marlborough, and treat it in a totally different way. Celebrating that trademark acidity, and working to build layers of texture really enthrals me”. Known for her organisational skills, Kate enjoys all the components of planning that goes with getting wines ready. Timing/equipment/people – “it’s like a big puzzle, or a game of Tetris!” she says.

Wine Awards Judge

Something you may not know about Kate is that she has been a wine awards judge for over 15 years, and is currently a senior panellist on several New Zealand wine awards.

Working for Rose Family Estate

A stand out positive for Kate about working at Rose Family Estate is the team environment. She says, “we are like a family here, and we all help each other out. For instance the winery team covers breaks for the bottling crew, and the bottling crew muck in at vintage. There’s no segmentation here – we all just work together to create a wonderful product”. She also loves that the Rose family are so involved in the company – and will do anything, and say yes to anything that makes the wine better. “There are no barriers to creating top notch drops here”, says Kate.

When not making or drinking wine, Kate enjoys playing golf, making gin and spending time with her daughter Josie, and Lexi the Cavoodle.