Merekara Wines

Jaco & Sandra van Hensbergen

Sandra and Jaco are born and raised in The Netherlands and founders of Merekara Wines. They both have a high-level hospitality background as sommeliers, where the love for wine has grown to something big. The dream was to make their own wine from the moment they met. Jaco has done many wine studies and joined vintages at Château Léoville-Poyferré in Bordeaux, France and ‘De Toren Private Cellar’ in Stellenbosch, South-Africa. After many wine visits around the world, they decided to go to New Zealand in 2014. Here, they took the first steps in the almighty Brêloft vineyard and fell in love with the beauty of the Awatere Valley and the Marlborough sun. Their dream came true in 2019 where they harvested their first Pinot Noir grapes. From 2020 they also make Sauvignon Blanc and from 2021 they have started making Chenin Blanc. They only produce a few barrels per variety. So, they call themselves extremely boutique. They love to highlight the grape variety from vintage to vintage where mother nature plays a massive role. The philosophy is that quality is the highest priority. They focus on meticulous care in the vineyard, 100% hand-picked grapes and minimal intervention in the winery. The name Merekara Wines was chosen as their daughter Grace is a true Miracle, and as they are living the dream in Aotearoa we translated Miracle to Māori; Merekara. Website: www.merekarawines.com

Jaco van Hensbergen

My passion for wine started to grow from 15 years of age while I worked in hospitality. Working with different wines from all over the world opened my eyes and I realized I needed more experience under my belt. I did lots of studies, courses, wine trips and joined wineries in France and South-Africa during harvest. While I took my first steps in the vineyards of the Awatere Valley, I knew this was something we could call home. Since 2019 we lease a part of an extraordinary vineyard in the Awatere Valley, where I do all the extra work myself. We achieve the quality we want with vine-to-vine attention . This basically comes down to be there with the vines all the time, because they will tell you what’s good for them.

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Discover the wines of Merekara Wines

Pale to lemon straw in colour with a very faint haze. Fresh Fragrant nose with aromas of ripe apples, stone fruit and a nutty almond note. The palate has ripe stone fruit and green apple fruit flavours, a fine acid backbone with a slight salty /wet stone textural element, crisp and dry. There is no doubt this wine will deliver every single sip you will have.

Producent	Appellation	Style
Merekara Wines	Awatere Valley - Marlborough	Rich & Exuberant, Aromatic
Oak aging	Vineyard management	Format
Yes	Practising organics	750 ml

€29.95

Available

Grace's Secret Pinot Noir 2021

“Grace’s Secret” refers to the youngest of the family, Grace. Translucent mid cherry-red coloured, lighter at the rim, medium bodied. The nose exhibits aromas of forest floor, cherry and plum, a hint of spice and subtle herb/earthy notes. Ripe dark plum, cherries and red berry fill the palate, a refreshing acidity, silky tannins and a hint of oak spice all nicely integrated, layered and still youthful. A long and tasty dry finish.

Producent	Appellation	Style
Merekara Wines	Awatere Valley - Marlborough	Rich & Exuberant
Oak aging	Vineyard management	Format
Yes	Practising organics	750 ml

€29.95

Available

L'Insolite Sauvignon blanc 2022

The colour is pale straw to lemon with a faint haziness from no filtration at bottling. Fresh grapefruit, citrus, tropical fruit and herbal aromas in the nose with a subtle lychee note. The palate is complex and vibrant with tart citrus fruit and tropical flavours, a nice grippy acidity, fine oak and mineral textural elements all rounded out with a full-bodied creamy mouthfeel.

Producent	Appellation	Style
Merekara Wines	Awatere Valley - Marlborough	Aromatic
Oak aging	Vineyard management	Format
Yes	Practising organics	750 ml

€29.95

Available

Les Selectionnés Chenin blanc 2022

Pale to lemon straw in colour with a very faint haze. Fresh Fragrant nose with aromas of ripe apples, stone fruit and a nutty almond note. The palate has ripe stone fruit and green apple fruit flavours, a fine acid backbone with a slight salty /wet stone textural element, crisp and dry. There is no doubt this wine will deliver every single sip you will have.

Producent	Appellation	Style
Merekara Wines	Awatere Valley - Marlborough	Aromatic
Oak aging	Vineyard management	Format
Yes	Practising organics	750 ml