The Butterworth wines

The Butterworth family is the new owner of the famous Julicher vineyard planted in the iconic soils of Te Muna, in Martinborough, a region situated at the south east of New Zealand’s North Island and for some of the country’s very best Pinot Noir. The J-knot on every Butterworth bottle, the strongest knot you can tie, is a tribute to the vineyard’s founder, Dutchman Wim Julicher.  He originally planted an olive grove on the site but soon realised it was too cool for olives, and taking the lead from neighbour Larry McKenna, observed that it was perfect for Pinot Noir and certain white varietals.

The sailing legacy

New Zealand born and bred, Brad Butterworth has been sailing since the age of six and is widely recognized as a superstar of the sport and is, without doubt, one of the most successful skippers and tacticians of his generation. In 1987 Brad skippered the New Zealand boat which won the Admiral’s cup, held that year in England. His numerous other sailing successes include several America’s Cup wins (with the New Zealand team and then the Swiss Alinghi team), the Sydney to Hobart, the Fastnet race and the Whitbread Round the World Race. In 1995 he was honoured with an OBE for services to sailing.  Not content with this tally to his name, Brad is now preparing for the 2024 America’s Cup which will be held in Barcelona.