In 1989 the unlikely combination of two windsurfing mates restauranteur Chris Gambitsis and police detective Phil Binnie decided that enjoying wine was not enough and what they really wanted to do was grow grapes and make wine. In true kiwi fashion, they jumped in the deep end, and set about establishing the notoriously stony Falcon Vineyard. They named their fledgling operation Lake Chalice Wines, after the wilderness lake in the Richmond range bordering the north of the Wairau Plain, and adopted the stunning New Zealand Falcon (Karearea) as their emblem. Lake Chalice Wines is a key sponsor of the Wingspan Trust preserving NZ's birds of prey, and is active in the Marlborough Falcon Conservation Trust re-introducing Falcons to the Wairau Valley. Grapes are grown on their own four vineyards and complemented with fruit from several long established growers.

http://www.lakechalice.com

Gambo, as he is affectionately known, first came across the notion that there was something special about wine while working in his father's Wellington restaurant in the 1980's. Lake Chalice Wines was started by his purchase of the Falcon Vineyard in 1989 and from 1990 to 1994 he learned about winemaking while working in the Barossa, Hawke's Bay and Marlborough.
From there it's been a rollercoaster ride, with 5-star reviews, a mantelpiece full of awards and a trophy or two suggest that the wine world shares Gambo's enthusiasm for his wines, and the fact that the huge upsurge in production has been met by steadily increasing demand - both domestically and in the key international markets - tells us that the public love 'em too.