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OUR WINEMAKERS

Dedicated to the adventure

OUR PHILOSOHPY

WINEMAKING

Our winemaking philosophy is to craft wines that are reflective of the soils they grow in; we aim to interfere as little as possible once the grapes arrive in winemaker hands. We nurture our vineyards to ensure grapes reach optimum ripeness, varietal character and flavour. We celebrate fruit expression and fresh linear acidity.

Mud House South Island wines are crafted by adventurers and we hope that no matter where you are in the world, when you open a bottle of Mud House, you’ll sense the taste of adventure.

MEET OUR SENIOR WINEMAKER

CLEIGHTEN CORNELIUS

Cleighten completed his Bachelor in Viticulture and Oenology at Lincoln University and set off to the northern hemisphere to work vintages in France (Chambolle-Musigny), Germany (Rheingau) and Cyprus. Returning to his hometown of Marlborough, with world-class experience under his belt, Cleighten joined the Mud House team in 2012. After a decade of winemaking, Cleighten’s core focus remains unchanged, “to make the best wine possible!” He believes learning is the key, both experimentally and from others. Having a job where you only get one chance a year to perfect your art means that winemaking remains challenging and a continually evolving process. Cleighten’s spirit of adventure is built around fishing, diving, exploring the outdoors, playing the guitar, cricket and watching sport.

MEET OUR WINEMAKER

KRYSTAL PALMER

After four years tripping around the globe, Krystal returned home to Marlborough and graduated with her Bachelor of Viticulture and Oenology from Lincoln in 2012. Krystal has experience across many facets of winemaking, including assistant viticulturist and winemaker, and has done vintages in Marlborough, Waipara, United States and China. Red wine is Krystal’s passion, particularly a juicy pinot noir. “When I make Pinot Noir, it is in a hands-off fashion. With minimal intervention, the purity and elegance of Pinot Noir really shines through. I love the art, science and creativity of winemaking. It is fluid, never stagnant – there are so many challenges and different branches to winemaking. I love that.” Most days, Krystal is in a ballet studio, sailing, paddle boarding, surfing, or singing in theatre productions.

TASTE OUR WINEMAKERS FAVOURITES

Winemakers pick

Single Vineyard

Medium Bodied Complex

"Elegant and expressive, with gorgeous cool climate acidity - one of my favourites!"

KRYSTAL PALMER
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Winemakers pick

Mud House Range

Light Bodied Dry

"A delicious, approachable, easy-drinking drop!"

CLEIGHTEN CORNELIUS
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Nev Gane

Nev joined Mud House when the Woolshed vineyard was first developed in 2003. "I'm 5th generation farming in Marlborough. The land, the people and the lifestyle are second to none here. I wouldn't swap it for anywhere else in the world. I've got all I need right here on my doorstep."

Tom Bullen

Tom works as the Vineyard Manager at Claim 431 in Central Otago. "Vintage is the most rewarding time of year, where you see all your hard work and efforts that were put in over the season, pay off."