Spy Valley Master Class

Thank you to Spy Valley, Head winemaker Emily Gaspard-Clark, and assistant winemaker Alessandro Carraro for his insightful presentation of Spy Valley Wines.

Recently, Spy Valley received the Award of New Zealand Winery of the year at the London Wine Competition. 

It was very interesting to learn more about Spy Valley and their location in the Waihopai Valley, which forms part of the Southern Valleys sub region of the Marlborough Appellation. View a detailed map here.

As a family business, the Johnson Family of Spy Valley have built a significant estate, purchasing 108 hectares in 1993, and opening the winery in 2003. Today they offer a broad range of styles and export to around 35 countries.

Assistant Winemaker Alessandro Carraro

The wines:

Echelon Méthode Traditionnelle 2021

Another example of classic Marlborough bubbles. This wine spends 36 months on lees and was disgorged in 2024.

Spy Valley Chardonnay 2024 Gold

Hand-picked fruit was whole bunch pressed, approx. 11 months in barrel and allowed to sit on lees prior to bottling. A elegant chardonnay that will appeal to any Chardonnay-lover.

Spy Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2025

This flagship Sauvignon Blanc is machine harvested in the cool of the night to preserve freshness, fermented in stainless-steel tanks with a small portion fermented in oak to add more complexity to the palate. This wine displays the distinctive fruit character that has made Sauvignon Blanc famous.

Y Block Sauvignon Blanc 2024

Alessandro related the story behind this experimental wine that he made to explore and refine his winemaking craft. This wine is fermented on skins in an open-top fermenter and displays a more oxidative character of ripe yellow plums, bruised apples and honey. Savoury.

Envoy Jonhson Pinot Noir 2021

The range of Envoy wines represents the pinnacle of Spy Valley’s wines. The Envoy Pinot Noir from 2021 which Alessandro describes as the Perfect vintage – hot days, cool nights – 28C to 4 C at night.

Pinot Noir with ripe black cherries layers of sweet spices and oak.

S Block Syrah 2016

This 10-year-old Syrah was very interesting to taste as a mature wine from a grape not commonly favoured in Marlborough. We note that Spy Valley no longer makes Syrah so we were honoured to taste this wine.

These six wines reflect the diverse wine styles and innate dynamism of the Marlborough region.

Many thanks to Emily, Dan and Alessandro for this tasting.

Celia Hay

16/6/26