Fine Focus

We are delighted to share with you all an article that was originally published in the Winter 2024 edition of Uno Magazine, written by Kitchen Takeover owner and director - Jess Easton.

It's been a long, deliciously warm summer in the Tasman region and, as autumn colours start rioting, cracks are appearing in the Upper Moutere clay.

Abel founders Mark and Sophie McGill are producing delicious Chardonnay and cider from their Tasman vineyard and orchard, with the help of supportive family.

Photo by: Jamie Troughton/Dscribe Media

Golden hour is here and Abel, Sophie and Mark McGill's 30ha farm and vineyard, is putting on a show.

The air is crisp and clear, pīwakawaka dance among the harvested chardonnay vines and the resident Wiltshire sheep graze contentedly.

If you could squeeze this fertile, rolling land into a bottle, you'd distil something delicious. Luckily, that's exactly what the McGills have done, with a clarity and focus that matches the surrounding views.

For Mark, that focus means staying true to the orange clay and gravel under his feet that Chardonnay grapes adore. Later, we pair Abel’s Chardonnay with pan-fried snapper and the match is so good, it's like you hauled it in on the same fishing line. Flinty,
with the vibrancy of great acid balance and richness of citrus, there’s also soft notes of green nectarine and apple.

The latter is not surprising, as the remnants of a century-old apple orchard on the farm also help produce Abel Méthode Cider, a hand-picked, bottle-fermented, bone-dry delight.

The McGills have plenty of industry pedigree – Sophie’s dad James Healy has a four-decade Marlborough legacy with the likes of Cloudy Bay and Dog Point, while Mark’s viticulturist father Linton planted a Wairarapa vineyard in the early 1990s. Both fathers now provide frequent support; New Zealand’s most experienced cellar-hands.

But Abel’s journey started when the young couple met in Melbourne, while working in the wider wine industry. Mark started brewing cider at home from an apple tree in the back yard and refined his skills over a number of years, until he felt it was good enough to sell.

It’s a philosophy he’s stuck with, through buying their Tasman land, moving back with two young daughters and planting their first vines in 2019. Only when he’s satisfied with the quality will Mark set it free.

They’ve just released a non-vintage cider, for example, a blend with vintages that have been ageing on lees in barrels for more than five years, with another year in the bottle.

Good things – especially delicious Chardonnay and cider – take time. And if you needed any proof of that, Abel will supply it.