BayBuzz Magazine June 5th 2025
You’ve no doubt heard of the Ice Queen, and you’ve possibly heard of the Queen of Darkness, but you may not know that right here in Hawke’s Bay we have our own Queen of Redness. She’s Jenny Dobson.
It’s a well-deserved, monarch-like moniker following her legendary achievements making fine reds in Burgundy and Bordeaux from the late 1970s before moving back to New Zealand in 1996. Upon arriving in Hawke’s Bay, she immediately became a wine consultant to the region’s heavy hitters of the time and cemented herself as serious talent amongst the tanks and barrels.
She also rapidly gained a reputation for being one of the most eloquent, searingly expressive, passionate and authoritative people to host wine tastings and wine education workshops in all ye olde New Zealand.
I first became aware of her when I relocated back home to Hastings in 1998, determined to carve a career in wine myself. I think at the time she was making outstanding reds for husband and wife team Bruce and Anna- Barbara Helliwell at Unison Vineyards in the Gimblett Gravels. I was told she’d arrived fresh from 10 years at Bordeaux Cru Bourgeois Chateau Senejac where she was Bordeaux’s very first female Maitre de Chais (a title that encompasses the roles of cellar master and assistant winemaker). I was also told she was a tornado incapable of turning out an average wine.
It all turned out to be true and now, 27 years later, she’s increased her influence, expanded her portfolio and is happily running her own brand.
So in true Lorkin fashion, I made a nuisance of myself, pestering her with questions smack bang in the middle of a roaringly frantic 2025 grape harvest about how her incredible career began?
“I was born in Mangakino, where my father was a civil engineer working on the Waikato Hydro Schemes and my mother was a school teacher.” Her dad moved to the Waitaki Hydro schemes, so Jenny ended up at high school in Timaru and studying science at Otago University. She shifted to food science and, because of her fascination with all things aromatic, “I did toy for half a second about working in the perfume industry,” opted for wine-related topics for assignments.
So, in 1978, as soon as her degree was dusted, she high-tailed it to Burgundy to learn how to make wine. “I had book and chemistry knowledge before going to France, but my real learning started there,” she says. “And moving to France wasn’t a culture shock, it was a culture joy. I loved the food, the wine, everything.”
Arriving in Burgundy in 1979, she launched straight into a couple of years working with Jacques Seysses at Domaine Dujac in the cellar and vineyard before moving to Paris to work with the late, great British wine expert Steven Spurrier, developing her tasting skills and teaching wine-appreciation courses. Around this time, she also met her husband Charles (a British wine merchant) at a tasting and that’s when her wine world really began to spin.
You see in 1983, Jenny said “Yes” to becoming the cellar master, or Maître de Chais, at Chateau Sénéjac in the Haut Médoc, the first woman to ever hold such a position in the Bordeaux. It was while working there that she had her three children, Christopher, Richard and Emma, and here’s where we shift into a Q&A…
YL: Winemaking is a demanding job and particularly intense at harvest time. As a mother how did you make it work?
JD: While in France we lived ‘on site’. Our house was just across the courtyard from the winery and the vineyard was around us. My walk to work was 40 meters.
My maternity leave was the days I spent in hospital after the babies were born. I would not have been able to keep my job had I taken maternity leave, maternity cover did not exist. Christopher was born in February of 1987, but Richard arrived in July of 1990 so was just weeks old when vintage came around in September. He was breast fed in the vineyard and winery. Emma was born in April 1994 so the poor girl hasn’t had me around for her birthday since we left France!
But my employer was supportive, and my babies came to work with me. I had a large English pram which they slept in, and a playpen so they could see me working and I could see them. They were well rugged up as the cellar was cool. I don’t think it’s any different to children brought up on a farm where the mother is an integral part of the business. That’s what kept me focused when I felt overwhelmed with winery work, demanding children and a house to run. I was only doing what hundreds of New Zealand mothers had done in the past. You must keep strong and keep fighting forward.
My parents spent several stints with us and helped with childcare and we also had several ‘au pairs’ who were usually daughters of friends who wanted to spend some time living in France. Preschool in France starts when children are two, so I usually only had one baby with me at a time. They went to and from school on the school bus, which they caught from the Chateau gate. After school they’d join me in the cellar until I finished work. We didn’t have TV, and it was very busy and hectic, but at least I didn’t have far to go to work.
YL: What is your favourite memory of working in Bordeaux?
JD: I’m so appreciative of the opportunity I had to taste the ‘Bordeaux Primeur’ from the top Chateau. Bordeaux Primeur tasting and offerings worked a little differently in the 1980s in that they weren’t as ‘public’ as today. My husband worked for a Bordeaux Negociant who bought wines ‘en Primeur’ which means before they’d normally be available for sale to the public. Samples were delivered to his office and he’d bring them home for me to taste. I learned what great wines should taste like when young, and how to judge their future greatness.
Another great memory was working with Denis Dubourdieu, a winemaker, researcher and a professor at Bordeaux University. I helped him prepare a presentation for the Australian Wine Technical Conference on the art of blending. Chateau Lynch Bages kept individual reference barrels of the grape varieties they used in their wine – Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot – and we spent several sessions tasting these wines while I helped Denis express his thoughts in English. I learnt so much about all aspects of wine during the time we spent together.
YL: Was relocating to Hawke’s Bay in 1996 exciting or daunting for you?
JD: Daunting. I knew about making wine in France and had built up 13 years’ experience working with the same vineyard in the Haut Medoc, but moving to New Zealand was like starting again. Nothing was the same. It was almost a bigger culture shock moving back to NZ than moving to France! Seeing the children was harder after moving home as I really did ‘go to work’, rather than across the courtyard. And I was away all day, so only saw them morning and night. It was exciting though because winemaking in France is governed by a restrictive set of rules that often frustrated me. Rules which don’t exist in New Zealand. It’s a much freer environment to craft wine.
YL: Who was your first job with when you moved here? And who have you worked for since?
JD: I started working as a consultant/ contract wine maker. My major client was Sacred Hill Winery. I’m currently working with Squawking Magpie, Unison and William Murdoch wines, but I’ve also had consultancy roles with Te Awa Farm, The Wine Portfolio, Linden Estate, Waimarama Estate and Askerne.
YL: You’re the only Kiwi making Fiano (an Italian white grape from Campania). How did you become involved with growing Fiano in Hawke’s Bay?
JD: I’d tasted Fiano in Europe and thought what an exciting wine! I felt it’d be great to have more diversity in our white wines, so I did some research and became convinced it’d grow well in Hawke’s Bay. Plus, it’s easy to pronounce! In 2009, Bridge Pa-based grower Bryce Campbell was keen to plant something new and I boldly suggested Fiano. I didn’t think too much about it until a year later when Bryce said he’d been able to source some vines from Riversun Nursery in Gisborne. They’d imported the Fiano for another local winery who’d decided against planting them, so the cuttings were available. Then, in 2015, Bryce offered me the lease of the Fiano vineyard and I become a winegrower.
YL: What is it about Fiano that really grips you?
JD: I love everything about Fiano. Its rich history, the way it grows, the taste of the wine and how well it marries with food. It’s layered with aromas of the red apple, fresh hazelnut, pink grapefruit and has slately mineral note while young. These aromas lean to honeysuckle, roasted hazelnut and citrus rind as it ages. The wine has power, texture, freshness and flavours that linger on the palate. It’s a perfect food wine that ages deliciously in bottle.
Researching its history also led to learning more about the 2nd NZ Division’s Italian Campaign during WWII. They landed in Taranto and moved north to Trieste. They’d have passed through Fiano’s native region on their way to Naples and for many of the NZ soldiers this would’ve been their first encounter with vineyards and wine drinking culture.
YL: Your husband imports and distributes French oak barrels, tell me about that.
JD: I knew of Tonnellerie Sylvain by reputation while working in Bordeaux and Charles, who worked as a negociant, often tasted wine from Sylvain barrels. Their barrels were highly sought after but weren’t widely available, however they were considering expanding into Oceania. Their Sales Director knew we were moving to the Southern Hemisphere and as our principles aligned it was perfect timing, and we’ve been representing Famille Sylvain in NZ ever since.
Charles is the main driver of the business, but I enjoy accompanying him when he’s visiting clients, I love chatting with other winemakers, sharing experiences and being inspired by the wines they are making. The barrel business keeps us connected with France and the French wine industry. Charlie does all his business with France in French, and I get the opportunity to speak a bit of French every now and then.
YL: Finally, has there been a moment that you consider an absolute career highlight?
JD: Definitely the 6th Annual Raffles Wine and Food Experience, ‘Celebrating Ladies of Epicurean Style’, in 2000. I was invited to be one of the all-women guest presenters (international chefs, ten winemakers, a Parmigiano maker, Serena Sutcliffe MW and Laetizia Riedel of Riedel glasses) for a 5-day food and wine extravaganza where we stayed in the absolute luxury of Raffles Hotel and the week was filled with cooking demonstrations, tutoring wine tastings, Parmigiano appreciation and elaborate lunches and dinners.
I presented Te Awa Farm wines, which tasted amazing, and I was very proud to show our world class wines in such a prestigious event. The finale was ‘The Perfect Pearls of Nature’ Dom Perignon Reception and Caviar Gala Dinner where 7 courses featuring caviar were paired with vintage Dom Perignon. I wrote my tasting notes and food commentaries all over my very elegant menu and still have it. I had a blast and my memory of the week will stay with me forever! Truly a once in a lifetime event. winebyjennydobson.co.nz
