John can turn his hand to most things. Raised in Southland and, after working in the coal mines and a stint shearing sheep, he shifted North to Marlborough and was an early pioneer in growing and exporting green lip mussels. A childhood dream was realised when John purchased several waterside properties in Spring Creek, Dillon’s Point and Rapaura, ideal for growing apples. The family grew apples and operated the largest apple pack house and export operation in the region. After apples, the Neylon family converted the orchards into vineyards and built a state of the art winery. The Rapaura property became the family home, bordering a beautiful natural Spring which served as the inspiration for Rapaura Springs.These days you’ll usually find John working on the land, in a digger or driving his big yellow dump truck. John likes to tell everybody he got ‘kicked out of the office’ a few years back but we know he loves being outside and doesn’t want to drive a computer for a living!

Brendan grew up in Marlborough, enjoying the long hot summers and the freedom to roam the wide open spaces. Brendan is a former world class cyclist, representing New Zealand at the Junior World Champs a few years back and lived and raced in the USA where he developed a taste for wine in the early 90’s. Brendan was involved in the family mussel and apple businesses and was instrumental in the transition to the wine industry. Father to three young girls, he loves kayaking (ask him about how he kayaked the Cook Strait one day) and mountain biking.He’ll reach for a classic New Zealand Pinot Noir, a ristretto or a decent chocolate brownie, not necessarily in that order (or together!)

Ian has been an integral part of the Rapaura Springs wine business and, along with his family, have formed a very successful 20 year + business partnership with the Neylon family. A keen motorcyclist and diver, Ian enjoys time on the water fishing or diving for scallops and crayfish in the Marlborough Sounds. Ian likes a big grunty Pinot Noir and / or a cold beer.

Mark’s introduction to wine started while working in Australia in the mid 90’s, enjoying the odd Coonawarra Red. At the time, his family was establishing a wine business in Marlborough, being one of the first to plant grapes in the Awatere Valley. When called upon to help the family business, he returned from living in the USA and was thrown into harvest duties in 2005. After initially demolishing a vineyard trellis with a tractor, he got the hang of wine growing and learnt the ropes from the ground up. Following the sale of the family wine business, he worked for a couple of well-known Marlborough brands before jumping at the chance to work for Rapaura Springs.In his spare time he enjoys the outdoor lifestyle Marlborough offers, tinkering with his (un-reliable) 40 year old Landy and spending time with his Texan wife, 3 school aged daughters and a mad English bulldog. Mark enjoys a Pilsner (plenty of hops) and will opt for a Chardonnay or a Riesling given the chance.

Originally from Australia, Michael developed his passion for wine at a young age whilst growing up in the family retail liquor business. This gave him the opportunity to taste some top shelf wines and meet some influential winemakers at an early age. After high school, Michael studied horticulture and winemaking, and worked stints in both Australia and France. He came to New Zealand for a Kiwi vintage in 2006 and met his (now) wife Hayley with whom he has three beautiful children. He is passionate about wine, Marlborough and developing new varieties and styles in the region.  Michael has embraced Marlborough and its laid back nature, hospitality and the opportunity to make first class wines in one of the best regions in the world. Michael is a wine judge with experience at all the major New Zealand wine competitions.

Born and bred in Marlborough, Simon initially worked in Wellington as an Industrial Designer. Being a keen hunter and fisherman, he returned to the family orchard for a summer break and decided to stay, taken by opportunity the region offered. Simon completed a Diploma in Viticulture and, after a chance encounter, started work in what was then the apple export business, before Rapaura Springs was founded. Once the wine business was established, Simon was instrumental in developing the company vineyards. Simon is a firm believer that great wines are made in the vineyard, and he enjoys the opportunity to produce grapes worthy of world class wine production. Married to Rebecca and living near the beach, Simon still finds time to hunt and fish and his faithful companion Luca, a Hungarian Vizsla, is never far from his side.

Matt knew he wanted to be a winemaker from a very early age – 16 in fact. At this time he was already collecting and stashing cases of wine under his bed. Bordeaux, Burgundy, and anything of worldly repute which his pocket money could reasonably enable him to possess were searched for and gathered.  Accompanying this avid collecting was Matt’s voracious thirst for knowledge: bedtime reading consisted of Parker’s Bordeaux volumes, and when the time for tertiary education dawned on him he fashioned his own degree to suit a career as an oenologist.

Aside from the prodigious array of accolades Matt has received for his own wines, a professional highpoint in Matt’s career was winning International White Winemaker of the Year at the International Wine Competition in 2008. His expertise and success in winemaking extend across an array of varieties with a particular strength in Sauvignon Blanc.  Experience consulting in modern winery design and build projects and interests in vineyards and wine companies both in Marlborough and in Italy introduce a genuine reality check about what the wine industry entails.

Matt has been with Rapaura Springs since 2018 as the Blind River Vineyard Manager. Originally from Gisborne he comes from high viticulture pedigree working in his family vineyard from a young age and then studying Viticulture and Wine Science degrees at E.I.T. Matt won the Bragato Italian exchange student scholarship and New Zealand young Viticulturist in 2013. He has completed five vintages abroad and seven around New Zealand, not to mention one or two in Marlborough. Matt is very active in the industry and is currently a NZ winegrowers sustainably committee member (from June 2019), executive committee member OWNZ (organic winegrowers nz) and on the Marlborough Young Viticulturist of the year committee. He looks forward to meeting you all in due course.