About the winery name:
The Ford Motor Company had the foresight and vision to release a new vehicle in the early 1950s. Its name was Zephyr, and according to Ben it's one of the best cars ever made. It was the first of the family sedans that arrived on New Zealand shores and an icon of the New Zealand roads in the 60s and 70s. One of the original Glovers (Owen's grandfather) owned a 1955 Zephyr Mark 1. Owen has fond memories of Sundays spent in the back seat, driving to his favourite Marlborough beach.
It's perhaps not surprising that our company vehicle is the winged 1965 Mark 3 Zephyr. A straight six, with twin pipes and a weber carburettor, it is the sweetest sounding car on Dillon's Point Road.
Their Story:
The Glover family were one of the first to plant grapes on their farm in Marlboroughs Dillon's Point sub-region in 1988. Nineteen years later, led by eldest son Ben, the family launched Zephyr, a range of single vineyard wines from the farm. The name Zephyr means a gentle breeze. Inspired by the prevailing wind that moderates their vineyards, it is the perfect fit for the Glover family. Never still, always on the go, always innovating and planning their next move on the farm, in the wines and with the family.
The family farm runs alongside Marlborough's Opawa River and over four generations was home to a successful dairy operation. Owen Glover dedicated much of his life to developing a revered pedigree Friesian herd. But after realising his four children had no interest in getting up at 5:00am to milk cows, Owen and Wendy looked over the fence. Inspired by the pioneering efforts of some other Marlborough mavericks, they opted to swap out milk for wine, selling the herd and converting the paddocks to vineyard. They had a feeling their Dillon's Point land had the potential to produce world class wine, and this new venture might mean an end to early mornings.
Today, rows of Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc have thrived in the fertile loam soils that provide Zephyr wines with lively aromatics, great depth of flavour and excellent structural longevity.
Zephyr wines are made in Ben's trademark expressive style, elegant with personality. Ben has spent more than two decades making wine for some of New Zealand's top brands, earning a reputation as one of the most talented and respected winemakers in the business.
