Ata Rangi - Vineyard & Winery

Ata Rangi founder Clive Paton was one of four pioneer winegrowers who planted their first few acres of vines on the free-draining terrace gravels at the edge of the Martinborough village in 1980. Then a 30 year old solo Dad with his six year old daughter Ness in tow, he sold his herd of dairy cows to buy the original 5 hectare block and doggedly pursue his dream of making world-class wine. The locals all thought he'd gone mad; beer was the drink of choice and grapes were unheard of in the area. The first vines planted included the now legendary ‘gum-boot’ clone of pinot allegedly smuggled from Romanee Conti in Burgundy