Ben and Helen McLauchlan first planted grape vines in 2014. Their commitment to nurturing and diversifying their family farm for the next generation has seen them produce sought after premium fruit for award winning Marlborough wine brands. This success encouraged Ben and Helen to explore the production of their own wine and the Balvonie wine label was born in 2023 with the hotly anticipated release of Marlborough’s first Prosecco.
The People
Ben Mclauchlan
Ben grew up on a farm in Marlborough, New Zealand, witnessing first-hand the growth and development of the wine industry. This led to a strong interest in the growing and making of wine which was pursued while at Canterbury and Lincoln Universities, initially gaining a Management Science Degree and subsequently a Post Graduate Diploma in Viticulture and Oenology. His passion for business and wine led to a career in sales and marketing, working with major alcohol companies both in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
In 2013, Ben and his wife Helen moved back to Blenheim with Ben working as a Commercial Partner for BNZ. Concurrently, Ben and Helen bought a vineyard in the Raupara subregion – a stone’s throw from Ben’s uncle and his long established Balvonie Farm. In 2017 they purchased the family business and now farm 112 hectares of established vineyard and 30 hectares on which they partner with First Light Farms, grazing grass fed Wagyu cattle.
In 2021 Ben was successful in gaining a prestigious Nuffield Scholarship to study primary industries around the world and bring this knowledge back to New Zealand. Ben’s focus for his study was ‘The Mindset of Change’. Unsurprisingly, this was the same year Balvonie planted its first glera vines.
Contact Ben - ben@balvonie.nz
Helen Mclauchlan
Helen was born and raised in Wellington, New Zealand. She and Ben met when Helen moved south to study at Canterbury University. She qualified as a Speech Language Therapist and worked as an SLT in healthcare for more than 25 years across New Zealand and in London. Amongst her medical accomplishments, she served as President of the New Zealand Speech Language Therapists association for a term.
Following the McLauchlan family’s move to Marlborough, Helen combined her busy role of mum to three children with being a strategic director of the family vineyard business and working in allied health leadership at the local hospital. Helen’s primary role in the Balvonie wine making process is one of quality control, being a taste tester for all wines produced.
Helen exemplifies the values of the Balvonie brand – integrity, innovation and community - and loves nothing more than to share its handcrafted wines with friends and family.
Contact Helen - helen@balvonie.nz
