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New Zealand · People, vineyards & the wine they make
Ata Rangi — The People Behind Martinborough Pinot Noir
A stony sheep paddock became a wine story shared by a family, a winemaker and a vineyard team. Follow Ata Rangi from its Martinborough beginnings to Pinot Noir, blends and a conservation connection.
A beginning at the edge of the village.
Ata Rangi dates its foundation to 1980, when Clive Paton planted vines on a small, stony sheep paddock at the edge of Martinborough. His sister Alison bought an adjoining block soon afterwards. In 1986, Clive’s partner Phyll Pattie joined the business after working as a winemaker in Marlborough.
That beginning introduces several people, rather than a solitary founder. It also places the story within Wairarapa →: Martinborough is the more local name, while the regional guide explains the wider North Island setting.
The team carries the story forward.
The producer identifies Alison Paton as co-owner and general manager, Helen Masters as winemaker since 2003, and Ian Ewart as vineyard manager. Clive’s daughter Vanessa leads the cellar-door and events work. Phyll has stepped back from daily work, while Clive devotes much of his time to conservation.
These are different contributions to the wine visitors encounter. A founder establishes a direction; vineyard, cellar and visitor-facing teams continue to shape the experience. The portrait here is Alison’s, rather than an image standing in for the whole team.
Pinot Noir is a beginning, not the entire portfolio.
Ata Rangi’s tasting archive offers a useful contrast between a Pinot Noir wine, a multi-grape red and a white blend. Keep each wine and vintage attached to its description.
| Follow this clue | What it tells us |
|---|---|
| Célèbre 2018 | The producer lists 47% Merlot, 41% Syrah, 6% Malbec and 6% Cabernet Franc. This dated blend gives Syrah a place beside Bordeaux-family grapes; it is not a fixed recipe for every vintage. |
| Late Harvest White Blend 2022 | The archive lists 58% Pinot Gris, 38% Chenin Blanc and 4% Riesling, co-fermented in barrel over two months. The stated residual sugar is 28 g/L. |
| Te Wā Sauvignon Blanc 2024 | The producer describes 20% whole-bunch fermentation and another 10% fermented with skins only. These are components of this wine’s production, not percentages of additional grape varieties. |
A blend can combine grape varieties, but a single-grape wine can also combine vineyard lots, clones or vessels. Those meanings belong on separate lines when reading the maker’s account.
A wine name opens a conservation story.
Ata Rangi purchased its Bush Block, backing onto Aorangi Forest Park, in 2002. Its account describes Clive finding native rātā and propagating trees from that stand. A connection with Project Crimson followed; the producer links the Crimson Pinot Noir name with support for the trust’s work.
This gives the wine a second route to explore, beyond grape and place. It is a specific producer account of conservation activity, rather than a claim that a wine name alone proves a particular environmental certification.
A small Cork Dork discovery.
Let the maker’s account join your tasting.
Read Célèbre 2018 beside the 2022 late-harvest white blend. List the grapes and percentages, then put fermentation and sweetness information on separate lines. Follow Te Wā 2024 for a single-grape comparison: how can different fermentation components be assembled without adding another variety?
Find the vineyards within Martinborough.
Explore Martinborough’s terrace and Te Muna landscape within Wairarapa. Then continue north to Gladstone for a neighbouring origin, its own river terraces and further white-wine routes.
Where shall we wander next?
Behind this introduction.
Editorial sources checked 26 October 2026. Historical events and individual wines are dated where relevant. Producer descriptions explain their own practice; they are not universal rules or independent rankings.