After tasting a couple of pretty impressive wines from the Wairau River label at the back end of 2025, I contacted the company to see if I could scratch the surface of this well-established, distinctly Marlborough brand. I was pointed in the direction of ‘Parky’ – their CEO, Lindsay Parkinson, who has been with the business – Rose Family Estate – for ages.
WineFolio: I realise you are ‘Parky’ but you’re part of the family aren’t you? How did that happen and what is good and ‘interesting’ about working in a family business?
Lindsay Parkinson: Yes, I married Pip the eldest daughter of Phil & Chris Rose in 2001, we met at University in Dunedin in 1993 so had spent a lot of time following our studies overseas before returning to Marlborough. I have grown up with this family (there are 5 kids) so it’s very special in a unique way. We have lived and breathed every aspect of this business since we returned and have absolutely loved it. The great thing with this family is that everyone has their own skills so we work in a very complementary way – no one feels like they should have each other’s jobs !!
WF: What would you say is the Wairau River philosophy?
LP: Actually, it would be the Rose Family philosophy – as I said, that’s what we have grown up with. Basically we have visionary founders who worked the land early on and built the foundations for the family business through sheer hard work. They have great foresight and never sit still; growth is a non-negotiable element here. Internally we have a motto around a “Reputation For Excellence” – that is how we run our business every day with that in mind.
WF: What does success look like to you?
LP: Success for me is moving the Wairau River brand high and higher both domestically and internationally. Along with our other complementary brands that can find their place in the various markets as well. We want people to look at our wines as being consistently of a high standard each year and offer excellent value for money, we don’t need to be the cheapest or most expensive. We also want our staff and trade partners to be successful in their own right – we want them to be associated with a company that cares and does the right thing.
WF: With the Wairau River label being part of the global phenomenon that is Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, how do you stay motivated and improving – I assume it’s not just a case of keeping the status quo?
LP: No, we continually look at ways to improve and want to continue the success we had had in the past. As I said we don’t sit still. That stretches from the vineyard through the winery and onto marketing and sales – there is plenty to work on.
WF: What was the last innovation that the company introduced?
LP: Actually, it is hard to pinpoint anything in particular as there are so many small innovations that happen all the time. One of the biggest projects in recent years has been our state-of-the-art wastewater treatment system in the winery.
WF: I’ve had your excellent Albariño (when judging at NZIWS). Are new varietals always on the agenda? And you’ll keep on with things like Gewurz – even if it is a hard sell?
LP: Outside of the 4 main varietals we produce Syrah, Riesling, Albariño, Gewürztraminer, Grüner Veltliner and Viognier. At this stage no other varieties are being considered as we sell most of these via our cellar door and restaurant. Interestingly there are some strong export sales for wines like Albarino and Gewürztraminer, so we will continue with those – albeit with limited volumes.
WF: I have been impressed with what AMW is aiming to do. How do you feel the region is doing in terms of managing its identity? Has Marlborough changed much over recent times?
LP: We are not members of AMW but appreciate the work they do to sell the Marlborough provenance story. Marlborough has changed dramatically in recent years and we feel strongly we need to adjust our marketing and pinpoint any areas of weakness and areas where we can see opportunity. The word “Marlborough” holds something special in every world market, we must protect that and improve our marketing to leverage off this as much as possible.
WF: Do you feel the same about the word “Wairau” given that it is a very identifiable part of the Marlborough story – you might say ‘the heart of it’?
LP: No, Wairau doesn’t carry the same weight – Marlborough is something special that needs protecting.
WF: What do you think are any upcoming trends, in wine?
LP: Hopefully there is a continued movement towards fresh and light white wines – that is what we do and we are in a great position to take advantage of this. Wine needs to be available for all occasions so we will see lots of innovation with packaging, but I still see a 750ml bottle being the predominate form of package.
WF: What do think are the main challenges ahead for the world of wine?
LP: Wine is facing quite a few headwinds at present, the no and low movement, drugs, weight loss pills, RTD’s etc… Combined with climate effects in the vineyards nothing will be easy for us in the coming years as grape growers and winemakers.
WF: Do you have favourite wines from other people/places, and think “One day we’ll make something as good as that”? Do you have any stories to tell about discovering those?
LP: I am fascinated by the French and Italian family wineries and their amazing history and stories. We were in France & Italy in 2023 and whilst we were meant to be on a no working holiday of course we ended up at some amazing vineyards and wineries, just out of Florence the Antinori del Chianti Classico winery was something else. The Antinori story is one that has impressed me immensely.
WF: I visited there in 2025. We spent two weeks never more than two hours from Florence (mostly south), rather than scattergun across Italy. Antinori was a triumphant highlight, but some of the tiny hilltop towns across the area were something magical. I loved the Agriturismo approach of staying on working farms too. Do you think there any lessons we could adopt to tourism in NZ – offering visitors more in terms of our fantastic foodie experiences and ingredients?
LP: Yes, we would love to add more experiences to our cellar door offering but we don’t have the resource currently. Going behind the scenes, seeing ‘money cant buy’ insights, talking to our staff/locals/family, that is what I see the future of wine tourism could be. All very ‘instagrammable’ moments.
WF: Do you see a big future for other varietals beyond the Marlborough Sav story? Pinot Noir seems well-placed to help tell the sub-regional story of Marlborough for example. And the region’s Chardonnay is pretty fine. Another key one is ‘aromatics’ – for example Pinot Gris is distinctively good in the right hands in Marlborough?
LP: Yes, but to a limited degree. I actually think Pinot Gris could follow the success of SB, our style is becoming quite unique especially when tasted vs USA and Italian versions. Pinot Noir for sure, but we are always up against the might of some very large name brands/countries. It will continue to take a lot of work to sell more Pinot Noir.
WF: What are the biggest lessons you’ve learned? One thing you wouldn’t do again?
LP: I have learnt a lot in 23 years of working in the NZ wine industry, the biggest lesson is probably never saying no to anything and considering all possibilities – as you never know what’s around the corner. I don’t know if there is anything we wouldn’t do again as you can only learn from mistakes… thankfully we haven’t made too many !!
WF: What is your favourite thing to do on a day off?
LP: If it wasn’t playing golf it would be hanging out with my family at a holiday destination eating great food and drinking something nice.
WF: What was your favourite travel experience?
LP: Last year we travelled to Vietnam with our family and 2 others in total 14 people. We had so many fun experiences together and were able to completely switch off from work – perfect.
WF: What’s your guilty pleasure?
LP: One too many glasses of Sauvignon Blanc
WF: Your house, containing everything you own, catches fire. After saving your loved ones and pets, you have time to safely make a final dash to save any one item. What would it be? Why?
LP: To be honest nothing else would matter to me, everything can be replaced.
WF: Who would you most like to share a glass of your wine with (and why)?
LP: Tiger Woods, he has had some amazing golfing and life experiences.
