Rod McDonald

Life’s been good to me, and it just keeps getting better thanks to Wayne and Mandy at Turanga Creek.

My winemaking journey began as Chief Winemaker at Vidal Wines where I enjoyed over 10 years honing my skills and palate. During my time with Vidal I was fortunate to win many awards for the wines I created, including vintages. This culminated in 2006 when I received the award for New Zealand Winemaker of the Year.

Following my success at Vidal, I established my own contracting and consulting company, RM Wines, with a range of vineyard clients throughout the Hawke’s Bay region and beyond. This area has become something of my specialty, allowing me to focus my expertise on the particular conditions affecting vineyards.

This is a fabulous corner of the world and with Turanga Creek I have the opportunity to be involved in a hugely exciting project, right from the outset.