Respect for Akarua as a skillfully grown and crafted Central Otago wine style is now well recognised. First planted in 1996 by Sir Clifford Skeggs, Akarua's 50 hectare single vineyard estate is located in the prestigious Bannockburn sub-region of Central Otago. These wines however, are 'hard won' from soils that are mostly broken schist and sand. There are extremes of hot and cold; frosts in winter and dry nor'westers that devigorate the vines. From this backdrop, the vision at Akarua is clear: to reveal the unique characters of the terroir, so that the vineyard site, combined with the idiosyncrasies of each vintage, are reflected in every bottle of Akarua. To ensure this, Akarua has acquired the skills of talented, albeit quiet achiever, local winemaker Matt Connell. The awards and trophies Matt has been awarded for his wines over the past few years reads very impressively so it will be exciting to track the progress of this clever, but understated, individual's forthcoming wines. Of course, Matt has some large footsteps to follow with previous winemakers achieving multiple accolades and awards, including both Pinot's in the range reaching No. 1 & 2 positions in past Cuisine Magazine annual New Zealand Reds tasting and a Champion Wine of the Show at the Air New Zealand wine awards. Today, with David Skeggs joining the team as director, the second generation of Skegg's family is now leading the business and with a stunning vineyard and multiple award winning winemaker, Akarua will continue to delight and reward the fine wine market.

http://www.akarua.com

Matt Connell - winemaker - completed a Post-Graduate Diploma in Viticulture and Oenology in 2001. Following University, Matt spent six months at Wynn's Coonawarra Estate in South Australia before moving on to Elk Cove Vineyards in Oregon's Willamette Valley, working with Adam Godlee Campbell. It is here that Matt fostered his love for Pinot Noir and cool climate winemaking. After three years as Assistant Winemaker at Elk Cove - including working a vintage for Peregrine Wines in Central Otago in 2003 under Michelle Richardson - Matt returned to Central Otago to take up the position of Winemaker at Olssen's of Bannockburn in January 2005. When Matt is not making wines, he is found chasing trout, or spending time with his American wife Beth and their two young children, Emma and Noah.