Petter the Winemaker
He's been described as a veteran in the industry by some and for very good reason
Petter started working in a vineyard at 15, not a commercial one, but a "hobby" vineyard owned by family friends with various grape varieties. Grape growing in Canterbury was experimental at the time, with few people involved. Inspired by Lincoln University's research on Canterbury's suitability for grape growing, Petter began cultivating vines at home, building his own wine press and cellar. Despite his efforts, he describes his early batches of wine as not successful.
The appeal and challenges
For him, it is the challenges and the variety, in equal measures, that make this industry so appealing. Petter often highlights that winemaking is an agricultural industry where quite often factors beyond human control affect the raw materials. Very little remains consistent and you must be able to adapt, each day and each vintage you are faced with different conditions and varying raw materials. This makes the wine and the work very interesting. But also challenging.
Petter is unashamedly a foodie who loves to cook for family and friends. Outside of winemaking, he likes to stay fit, running or bike riding around Hagley Park in Christchurch or visiting new places. Along with his wife, they have also successfully raised a daughter and numerous cats. Petter is a humble man who often plays down his role in the development of the Canterbury wine industry. In any industry, it is rare to find such a long-held passion for what you do. And his favourite wine? That would be like asking a parent who their favourite child is.
Many wine professionals claim to have winemaking in their blood. For Petter we think that might just be true.
A trailblazing career
Winemaking was not a well-trodden career path in New Zealand, and study options were limited for aspiring winemakers. The only option was to study overseas, and in 1982 Petter traveled to South Australia to attend Roseworthy Agriculture College with four other New Zealand students.
This marked the beginning of an illustrious career, with Petter completing harvests at Chateau Remy in Australia, a small family winery in Barden, Germany, Söhnlein, a major German sparkling wine producer, and wineries in Nelson and Auckland.
His affiliation with pioneering winemakers continued when he returned to Christchurch in 1991 to work at St Helena, one of Canterbury's first wineries and his introduction to New Zealand Pinot Noir. Around this time, a group of Canterbury winemakers, including Petter, took over the running of the Pinot Noir workshop, an influential knowledge-sharing forum for wine growers and producers. This led to Petter's introduction to Dayne Sherwood, and in 2003, he joined Sherwood Estate.
