The explosion of wine production in Marlborough, at the north of New Zealand’s South Island, has been dazzling.

A happy—but very rare—phenomenon, the rapid and massive investments from local producers in production facilities and world-class vineyards occurred just as global demand for the wines skyrocketed. Spy Valley and its parent company, Johnson Estate, played a leading role in the rise of Marlborough’s wines.

Spy Valley is managed with a master’s hand by Blair Gibbs, who is surrounded by a dynamic and professional team that has managed to develop itself sustainably  also while preserving the familial character of the domaine. The quality of the production, supervised by the talented Paul Bourgeois is irreproachable. The plantings are predominantly sauvignon blanc and pinot noir, but they also grow a range of other varieties, including riesling, pinot gris and gewurztraminer.

Spy Valley is the local name for the Waihopai Valley, because of the presence of a military base dedicated to communication and satellite surveillance.