On a crisp Marlborough morning, the vines on Godfrey Road glisten in the early sun. Jules Taylor walks the rows with her familiar stride, pausing now and then to pluck a grape. She laughs as she admits she should stop eating them — before slipping another into her mouth. It’s this instinctive love of growing things that first drew her into winemaking, and it’s what carries her into her twenty-fifth vintage this year.
Jules’ first harvest under her own label was in 2001: a small block of hand-picked Pinot Gris, pressed straight to barrel and wild fermented. At the time, she was working at Marlborough Valley Cellars, making wine for brands such as Kim Crawford and Saint Clair. Encouraged by her boss to try her own label, she bottled 400 cases of Pinot Gris and Riesling — thinking, if nothing else, they’d be enjoyed at family Christmases.
Two and a half decades later, Jules Taylor Wines is a fixture of the Marlborough landscape, though the winemaker herself remains modest. “A quarter of a century — wow, I can’t really believe it,” she says. “Our little family business is still here, having weathered many storms. That’s something to celebrate.”
The storms have been many: grape gluts, lean harvests, distributor changes, even the unnerving timing of leaving her “proper job” just weeks before the global financial crisis. Yet Jules’ perseverance has been matched by accolades: twice winning the Sauvignon Blanc trophy at the Air New Zealand Wine Awards, being named NZ Winemaker of the Year in 2021, and scooping international trophies at the IWSC in London.
But for all the acclaim, Jules insists the real joy lies elsewhere. “The best part is meeting the people enjoying our wines, seeing the happiness they bring. That makes all the ups and downs worthwhile.”
Since 2001, Marlborough has transformed, vineyard plantings growing nearly sevenfold, wine companies more than doubling, and the workforce becoming far more diverse. Jules has embraced these changes while remaining selective with her vineyard sites, working with family friends and trusted growers.
Today, alongside her husband George and a small team, Jules crafts Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Grüner Veltliner, Rosé, and Pinot Noir — wines that now reach 20 markets worldwide. Yet despite global recognition, her approach remains rooted in humility, instinct, and the small daily pleasure of walking the vines at dawn.
“I don’t think I’ll be retiring anytime soon,” she says. “Hopefully we can keep doing this for another twenty-five years.”
