Why Tohu Wines joined Appellation Marlborough

Ko au te whenua, ko te whenua, ko au. 
I am the land and the land is me.

Tohu Wines recently joined Appellation Marlborough Wines (AMW), continuing our commitment to making wine that is truly of this region. 

This year, the first of our wines will proudly wear the AMW trust mark, showing that they're 100% grown and made in Marlborough:

• Tohu Awatere Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2026

• Tohu Marewa Sauvignon Blanc 2025

• Tohu One Pinot Noir 2025
  

With our region rising to prominence, businesses have much to gain from a label that says ‘Marlborough’.

We believe that when you invoke connection to a place, you have a role to play in protecting it…

When we talk about appellation, what do we mean?

The word ‘appellation’ means a formal title or label, introducing some-one or some-where. 

An appellation is the defined region where a wine is from, with rules about how that wine is grown, made, and bottled.

How did the Marlborough appellation get so famous, so quickly?

When it first appeared in the 1980’s, Marlborough didn’t just impress the Old World wine establishment. It permanently redefined the Sauvignon Blanc category – and the future of the region.

To wine styles restrained by subtlety for centuries, Marlborough opened a new dimension of unapologetic intensity in tropical and herbaceous flavours. 

Though “Sauvy B” is certainly the blockbuster, Marlborough shines through several other varieties: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Riesling, and even sparkling wines.

So, what's so special about Marlborough for winemaking?

It always comes back to this trifecta:

• Land: Ancient riverbeds with free-draining soils of silt and clay make for a tough growing environment that restricts yields and focuses flavour.

• Climate: Clear, southern skies supercharge thiol and pyrazine development, with dramatic polarity between day-night temperatures to lock in mouthwatering acidity.

• People: Pioneering growers and makers who at times, respectfully, set aside the traditional playbook and experiment with new growing, harvesting, fermentation, and bottling methods.
  

[1] Overlooking the Awatere River. [2] Our Whenua Awa vineyard. [3] One of our amazing winemakers, Anna McCarty, at the Tohu winery.  

The success of Marlborough wines transformed this region.

The first vines were planted in the 1970s. In just a few decades, a pastoral landscape of sheep farms, orchards, and barley fields became a Wellington City-sized monocultural engine. Vineyards, vineyards, vineyards.

Marlborough now makes up the vast majority of Aotearoa’s wine exports, valued at $2.1bil last year, with the USA, UK, Australia, Canada, South Korea, and China among the biggest customers.

You could say that Marlborough wine is one of the greatest success stories in modern horticulture. 

But, can it stay that way?

Diluted by the 85% rule

In Aotearoa, to have a region on your wine label, 85% of the grapes have to be grown there.

The 85% rule has enabled a bulk market to export tonnes of Marlborough grape juice overseas, where it’s blended and bottled with 15% juice from other regions. 

The resulting wine tells consumers it’s ‘Marlborough’. They might taste delicious wine, but it’s not a pure reflection of our terroir, tradition, or quality control.

And with distinct sub-regional identities established across the Wairau Valley, Awatere Valley, Blind River, and the Southern Coast, “Marlborough” is not a homogenous flavour.

So how can we protect and amplify these voices to the world?

AMW brings a higher standard of authenticity and sustainability

Old world appellations like Champagne, Bordeaux, and Burgundy have centuries of tradition and hard-fought legislation protecting their origins. 

One could argue Marlborough has reached similar prestige to the Old World classics, but in the blink of an eye.

In 2018, a small group of winemakers decided it was time to establish the standard to protect Marlborough’s provenance. They formed Appellation Marlborough Wines, AMW, an independent certifier.

“We are doing everything possible in viticultural and winemaking practices to make sure the producers associated are quality, we would like to see that resonate with the consumers and the trade. A seal of approval, if you like.”

– Ivan Southerland, Founder of AMW and Dog Point Vineyards

Knowing it would take time to build momentum and authority, AMW focused on defining the values of Marlborough wine:

• Origin: Grapes are 100% Marlborough-grown, from vineyards within recognised subregions.
  
  
• Integrity: As an independent certifier, buyers can trust that what’s on the label is what’s in the bottle and not just marketing.
  
  
• Authenticity: Certified wines are only bottled in New Zealand, maintaining the purest expression of Marlborough and abiding by strict quality standards.
  
  
• Sustainability: Wines have to be from vineyards that are certified by recognised sustainability programmes to care for the land, people, and future quality.

With careful consideration, the Appellation Marlborough collective has grown to more than 50 wineries. 

Each with different origin stories, winemaking practices, and regional identities. All united in the shared purpose of regional protection, economic resilience, and cultural respect that extends far beyond wine sales. 

Doing our part for the Marlborough appellation 

AMW’s values of origin, integrity, authenticity, and sustainability have been core to our journey, especially since planting our own Marlborough vineyards in 2002...

Our Whenua Ora programme

Our Whenua Awa vineyard – home to our Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc – is the focal point of our company-wide land wellness initiative: Whenua Ora. 

Whenua Ora in practice looks like our growers, led by Vineyard Manager Anthony Walsh, using a nuanced combination of conventional, organic, and regenerative practices.

Over time, this helps us ensure quality yields while building soil health and biodiversity. 

Consistent improvement in soil test results, flourishing native wildlife, resilient vines, and exceptional fruit purity are an ongoing testament to hard work and a quality-over-quantity mindset.

[1] Our organic-grown Chardonnay block at Whenua Awa. [2] We're seeing excellent soil health thanks to our Whenua Ora programme. [3] Red clover, one of the many diverse species in our interrow to support biodiversity.  

Our winemaking practices

This quality-over-quantity mindset continues in the Tohu winery, where our winemakers have the experience and the tools to be choosy with harvest, fermentation, and storage methods. 

 

For our winemakers, the philosophy is simple: minimal intervention for maximal demonstration of origin.

But simplicity doesn’t mean it’s easy. Making wine that is truly of this place requires us to make tough decisions, particularly if a harvest hasn’t been favourable.

Our Chief Winemaker Bruce Taylor explains that people are wising up to brands that put these values before profitability:

The value of appellation for a Māori-owned wine business

Our belonging to the whenua, the land, is our identity.

But, more importantly, it’s our duty. 

In joining Appellation Marlborough, we take one more step forward in the journey to economic and ecological prosperity for our lands and our people for the next 500 years.