A Thousand Gods

Marlborough, New Zealand

The U.K. is no stranger to Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Walk into most British pubs and you’ll inevitably see some form of the grape and region on show. It’s certainly a region that’s never been associated with thoughtful farming or low-intervention winemaking methods, and so it wasn’t until we came across the wines of A Thousand Gods – that quite honestly blew us away – that our interest was piqued and Marlborough – along with the rest of New Zealand – came under our spotlight.

Lauren, from Hunter Valley in Australia, and Simon, from Auckland, both found their way into wine through very different avenues. Lauren grew up surrounded by it, and worked harvests from a very young age, while Simon was inspired by the world of gastronomy that later led him to exploring wine.

After several stints abroad that took them to Germany, the USA and Australia, the couple both ended up working in Cahors. It coincided with a time where the region was having its own Renaissance. Fresher, leaner styles of Malbec were being championed and explored, and the low-intervention philosophies of producers such as Fabien Jouves (who Simon worked with for several years) heralded a new age of south west France wines.

When the seed was planted to start producing their own wines, there was no doubt that would happen back in New Zealand. The first vintage in 2019, Simon flew back to NZ, produced the wines, barrelled them down, and didn’t touch them until bottling a year later. They are still some of the most impressive wines they’ve produced. Ironically, they also loathed the idea of producing Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, but were fortunate to cross paths with Sam and Ben Weaver of Churton Vineyards, a biodynamic estate considered to be one of the most special sites planted on the slopes of the appellation. They now make some of the most inspiring Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Petit Manseng, choosing to work without any sulphur additions whatsoever, and championing time as the ultimate factor in allowing them to find their wines elegance and stability.