Press Release - Malborough Express
A couch and a bottle of New Zealand wine are the perfect match for relaxation for many.
But it's the daily grind for Marlborough-based winemakers and partners Sarah Adamson and Greg Lane, who sell their reds and whites from their lounge room in southern Blenheim, using a remote off-licence.
The off-licence, issued by the Marlborough District Council, kept their small business Scout Wines "viable" by allowing them to cut out the bottle shop middle man and keep things personal with their customers.
People come to them online or over the phone to order wines. Most customers are from New Zealand - like Blenheim's Scotch Wine Bar - but some ordered through a distributor in Australia.
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"We can talk directly to people, and so we know who's buying our wines," Adamson said.
The pair sourced about 12 tonnes of grapes a year for their wines, pulling from "awesome growers" in Central Otago, Waipara, and Marlborough, who shared their winemaking philosophy of "organic where possible".
Wine was made at The Coterie in Renwick, where Adamson worked part-time, then stored and dispatched from a warehouse in Riverlands.
Adamson said without a remote licence, the pair wouldn't be able to sell their products directly to customers or for the recommended retail price, and would instead have to sell through a third party business, who took a share.
"Having the remote sales [off-license] is definitely the best option."
The couple applied to renew their off-licence last month.
Life was busy for the couple, who also both worked full-time jobs - Adamson at Scout Wines and Lane at Grove Mill - and were organising their wedding, nine years after they met during harvest in Central Otago.
Adamson, originally from Invercargill, was drawn to the wine industry after encouragement from her parents, who were big "good wine" drinkers, while Lane, from Adelaide, was inspired by his grandfather, she said.
Adamson and her fiance are winemakers with a love of New Zealand flavours.
It wasn't long before the pair moved to Adelaide to a small winery, where an "amazing wine maker" encouraged them to start a brand.
"She helped us find fruit, and let us use the winery there," she said.
Scout Wines was born in 2017, after the pair made their first batch of chardonnay. Wine bottles were sold from their Australian house, but local rules prevented them from selling outside their licenced home office.
"We had to submit house plans ... we had to display alcohol signs."
Several months later, in late 2017, the couple moved back to New Zealand, buying a house in Marlborough.
The couple one day hope to own a winery estate and vineyard.
"Fruit in New Zealand is just that next level of concentration and greatness ... We definitely wanted to be in the South Island. We do like the cool climate grape varieties, like pinot noir and chardonnay."
Adamson said since returning, the pair had noticed New Zealanders following the Australian "movement" of starting a small wine brand.
"There's been lots of small brands start up, which is awesome."
A council spokesman said there were 155 premises with off licences in Marlborough, and staff believed 67 of those did remote sales regularly.
Adamson and Lane hoped to own a winery and vineyard in the future.
The Marlborough Express
