Bald Hills, Bannockburn, Central Otago

People

• Blair Hunt, Co-owner and General Manager
• Estelle Hunt, Co-owner and Marketing Manager
• Ross Hunt, Roving Ambassador
• Grant Taylor, Winemaker
• Christopher Keys, Winemaker
• Grant Rolston, Viticulturist

Blair Hunt, Co-owner and General Manager

Blair has had a diverse career spanning five decades, which saw him initially as a Sugar Chemist with CSR in Fiji, later Dean of Business at the NSW Institute of Technology during 1980 and 81 and later as Assistant Director General of the Premiers Department and General Manager of the Office of Public Management in the NSW Public Service.

Most recently Blair was General Manager of Dunstan Hospital in Clyde, Central Otago.

With his ongoing love of business, wine and Central Otago, running and owning Bald Hills Vineyard is a natural progression for him.

Estelle Hunt, Co-owner and Marketing Manager

Estelle is the New Zealand-born connection, was thoroughly delighted to return to her homeland after many years with Blair and their children experiencing life and food in Fiji, Australia and California.

Her interest in cooking and love of wine led to her developing a reliable food-matching ability of importance to Bald Hills.

Earlier academic studies together with a willing disposition and that female intuition are indispensable in her current marketing role.

Ross Hunt, Roving Ambassador

Ross Hunt now acts for Bald Hills and clients in an advisory capacity after spending two years as General Manager.

With his good business brain and well-honed palate Ross was instrumental in setting up many of our overseas markets from 2002 to 2004.

Currently based in Wellington and completing a Masters in Applied Finance at Victoria University, Ross is very competent in discussing and showing Bald Hills’ wines and in developing and maintaining relationships with existing and potential clients.

Grant Taylor, Winemaker

Dip Ag, Dip Field Techno. (Lincoln)

Grant Taylor is possibly New Zealand’s most awarded Pinot Noir winemaker.

A highlight for Bald Hills was his achieving the Champion Red Wine award at the London International Wine Challenge in 2007 and the International Pinot Noir Trophy from the Decanter World Wine Awards, also in London in 2007.

Grant had previously won the same IWC award for Gibbston Valley Wines.

He has now worked more than 40 vintages in total, in France, Oregon, Australia and California as well as in New Zealand.

Grant repeatedly has advised Bald Hills to always “make the best wine possible” and not to “cut corners”, advice we continue to take to heart.

Christopher Keys, Winemaker

BA, PGDip Eng.Lit, PGDipViticulture/Oenology (Lincoln)

Christopher is making the Bald Hills white wines from 2009.

Christopher is a deep thinker, an artist with a poetic soul.

His intelligence, skill and craftsmanship enable him to nurture wines so that they may preserve the defining features of this vineyard.

He is thoroughly grounded in his approach to winemaking too, for as he says - one of the fundamental absolutes for me as a winemaker is the concept of balance- where each constituent of a wine is sculpted so that one does not dominate the other.

Grant Rolston, Viticulturist

Certificate in Wine Production

Grant Rolston holds a Certificate in Wine Production and an extensive agriculture/horticulture background.

Grant heads his company Vinewise Viticulture, in partnership with Gary Ford, who together bring a wealth of experience and a sound knowledge of local conditions.

Grant has an intimate understanding of Bald Hills’ capabilities “in all her infinite variety” having managed the viticulture since 2000.