Congratulations! On September 25, 2019 it is 200 years since the first vine was planted in New Zealand. An anniversary well worthy of a celebration, don’t you think?
It was the Reverend Samuel Marsden, Chaplain to New South Wales, Australia, who on this day in 1819 planted vines in Stone Store in Kerikeri in the Bay of Islands on the North Island. Maybe New Zealand is the only country in the world that knows exactly when the first vine was planted?
However, Marsden did not make any wine, as far as we know. The honour of being the first winemaker in New Zealand goes instead to James Busby. He made his first wine in New Zealand in 1836. Busby is also an important person in Australia. The various cuttings he brought with him from Europe laid the foundation for the Australian wine industry.
Surely that merits a glass of Kiwi wine on September 25?
Read more about New Zealand’s anniversary here: nzwine (pdf).
Travel: Come and experience New Zealand with us on the wine tour in March 2020!
