Not an obituary - merely an acknowledgment of a sensible move from the Land of Oz to become a Kiwi! John Hancock has a long and colourful history within the New Zealand wine industry. Well known to many for his great sense of humour and friendly persona, John has made his mark on our industry as an innovative and quality-driven winemaker - as well as a highly respected local and international wine judge.

John came to New Zealand in early 1979 - interested in cool climate winemaking and keen to work for a smaller winery (his previous winery in Australia crushed more than the entire New Zealand wine industry). His entrée was at Delegat's as their first qualified winemaker in what was to become an extremely wet vintage. "That was a big shock to the system" says John, "as my previous vintages in Australia were in very dry regions". By using modern winemaking techniques he was able to make Delegat's first gold medal wines (from Muller Thurgau!)

In the next two years John went on to make Delegat's first gold medal Chardonnay as well as winning the company's first gold medals for Cabernet Sauvignon and dessert wine.

John was passionate to further his winemaking skills and in 1981 travelled to Europe where he studied the barrel fermentation process of Chardonnay in Burgundy. He travelled widely in France (Champagne, Bordeaux, Loire, Alsace, Provence and Burgundy) as well as to Northern Italy and Germany.

During his time at Delegat's, John set up some of the most advanced and efficient grape processing facilities in New Zealand. His winemaking prowess was also proven over successive years as he won numerous gold medals and trophies (particularly for Chardonnay) at the National Wine Awards and other shows.

In between winning gold medals and European trips, John, a keen sportsman represented Auckland and New Zealand in Aussie Rules football. It is reported that 25 years later that John now has an equal passion for rugby union!

The next stage in John's winemaking career saw him heading south to assist in the start-up of the Morton Estate operation at Katikati where he was deeply involved in the development of the company and design of their winery. Before long, Morton Estate was winning gold medals for their Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.

The 1984 vintage was the beginning of now famous Morton Black Label Chardonnay. One of New Zealand's first barrel fermented Chardonnays, it was made from Hawke's Bay fruit. Best described as a strong, gutsy, mouth-filling style this wine went on to win gold and ushered in the beginning of a new style for New Zealand Chardonnay. (The 1995 vintage of this wine won Best Chardonnay in World in London in 1997) Whilst at Morton, John also made some of New Zealand's first award winning methode traditionnelle under Morton's two very successful sparkling wine labels.

Always the pioneer, in the mid 1980's John established some of the first exports of New Zealand wine to both the UK and the US. By now he was also a recognised wine judge and had established a reputation as one of New Zealand's leading winemakers.

Over the next ten years John travelled overseas frequently to ensure that he kept up with new technology. He also made some of his first wines from Gimblett Road - from the area now known as Gimblett Gravels. As one of the first to recognise the exciting potential of this area, particularly for red wines, he was rewarded in 1989 when he made Morton's first major gold medal reds from the Gimblett Road area.

John remained passionate about Chardonnay and from the 1990 vintage he released his first gold medal Chardonnay from Mangatahi area in Hawke's Bay. For the first time this wine was made utilising hand picking and whole bunch pressing and this wine went on to become a major influence in New Zealand Chardonnay winemaking.

Always experimenting with new varietals in Hawkes Bay, John made his first successful Pinot Noir from the cooler region of Mangatahi in 1991. He also imported and planted Tempranillo (Spain's answer to Cabernet Sauvignon). In the mid 1990s John also pioneered some of the first plantings of Syrah (one of the noblest of French varieties) in Gimblett Road. Other new experimental varieties brought in at this time were Petite Verdot and Viognier.

In 1995 the Hancock's, Wilson's and Jane's families purchased and planted their first 45 acres of Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot in Gimblett Road and in 1996 John left Morton Estate to establish Trinity Hill Wines.

Throughout his career John has always taken opportunities to further his viticulture and winemaking education. In 1996 he worked a harvest at Hermitage in the Rhone Valley - taking a special interest in Syrah and Viognier. Two years later, he worked the vintage in Burgundy, to get the very best hands-on experience with Pinot Noir, for future development. This knowledge paid off in 2003 when Trinity Hill became one of the first New Zealand wineries to win a gold medal for a Hawkes Bay Pinot Noir!

In 1997 John used his extensive experience (working in eight wineries and designing two) to develop a winery that would allow Trinity Hill to gently handle hand-picked fruit to make elegant styles of wine that would age well. The winery was finished in time for the 1997 harvest and the first fruit from their own vineyards was used to make their wines.

Trinity Hill wines achieved gold medal status early on for the Trinity Hill Gimblett Road Cabernet Sauvignon 1997 and Cabernet Merlot 1997. In the early days at Trinity Hill John was also focused on establishing international distribution in key markets of the UK as well as appointing a New Zealand distributor to establish the brand in the home market.

A futuristic thinker and strategic planner as well as winemaker, John has read the future demand for specialty varietals exceptionally well. In 1997 he planted Trinity Hill's first close-planted hillside experimental vineyard, with Syrah, Tempranillo and Roussanne. Six years later, this commitment to experimentation and new product development has positioned Trinity Hill as a leader in New Zealand in specialty varieties and in 2003 they are one of a handful of wineries that can meet the thirst in demand for new varietal styles.

From the superb 1998 and 1999 vintages, Trinity Hill produced a number of gold medal wines. The 1999 Trinity Hill Gimblett Road Chardonnay also achieved the status as the top Chardonnay in the 2000 Cuisine Chardonnay Tasting. A tremendous feat from a new winery!

Continued development since then has involved the installation of the first new HB designed and built membrane press as well as further work in the vineyard top grafting Chardonnay over to Tempranillo, Viognier, Montepulciano and new clones of Syrah from the Rhone. In 2001, John and his viticulture team began close planting their new block in Gimblett Gravels.

At the same time, John also became involved with the establishment of the Gimblett Gravels Winegrowers Association and the New Zealand Screw Cap Initiative and use of screw cap closures. Trinity Hill was one of the first wineries to introduce screw caps in their range.

Recent innovations include the first winery in New Zealand with new rotating barrel rack system and 2003 was the first vintage that Trinity Hill has used a large proportion of un-inoculated ("wild") ferments of reds and whites.

Intermingled with establishing a new winery and maintaining innovation in every aspect of Trinity Hill's business, John has continued to act as a wine judge in South Africa, Australia, and of course, New Zealand. John has also been a member of the Cuisine tasting panel (led by Bob Campbell, MW) for over 12 years.

John has established Trinity Hill as one of New Zealand's leading wine brands in a relatively short time - exported to over 20 markets around the world. John Hancock can also be regarded as one of the visionary's of the New Zealand wine industry today. He has added much colour to our industry through his passion and commitment to innovation whilst encouraging the good old down to earth enjoyment of wine. John's most widely reported comment made a few people sit up, and could only be said by a few as qualified as he, "We all need to share our expertise. It's all about being inclusive - not exclusive. I hate all the bullshit about wine! It's just a beverage to make you feel better!" A clever fend from an Aussie Rules player now enjoying Rugby and looking forward to watching Australia play New Zealand!

© Martin Carrington
November 2003

More recent successes for John's wines include a gold medal and trophy for the Trinity Hill Gimblett Road Hawkes Bay Chardonnay 1998, in the newly created 'Museum Class' at the Hawkes Bay A & P Wine show judged last month then at the Air New Zealand Wine Awards announced just last week, the Trinity Hill Gimblett Road Syrah 2001 also won gold.

It could only happen in the States
John Hancock's Trinity Hill wines have been characterised by his signature but his new releases will no longer carry his distinctive scrawl. Although it would be hard to confuse a large U.S. insurance company with a New Zealand Chardonnay, John Hancock Life Insurance Co. has forced the Trinity Hill winery to remove the 'John Hancock' signature from its wine labels, even though the signature is that of the winemaker.

"We were surprised to receive a letter demanding that we drop my signature from the label," said John. "The insurance company has adopted the 'John Hancock' name as a brand, while in our case the signature is the mark of a living winemaker - me. Under New Zealand law, they wouldn't have a case because wine and insurance are totally unrelated businesses. The same may be true under U.S. law, but in the end, we decided to drop the signature from our label rather than challenge their claim through the courts."

Sue Courtney
11 November 2003