WHERE IT ALL STARTED
As young boys, my two brothers and I were first introduced to the wine industry when we worked in the vineyards of the beautiful Waipara Valley. We were pretty lucky, living only a short 10 minute drive up State Highway 1.
Fuelled by Mums veggie soup and cold meat sandwiches my experience with wine was, and always has been, a real family affair.
My younger brother (Tim) and I often worked together with the pruning gangs in the region. The youngest by at least 30 years, we got the hang of it pretty quickly and made some serious pocket money!
Fast-forward to 2010. I finished up at school in Christchurch and was pretty sure I had my life mapped out, as all bulletproof teenage boys do!
Lincoln University was my next step in the brain training process. Plan ‘A’ was a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture… let’s just say that didn’t last lol.
To this day I still confuse myself with why the Bachelor of Viticulture & Oenology wasn’t my first choice… but we live and learn!
I spent from 2010 to 2014 at Lincoln, learning everything there was to know about growing grapes, making wine (and drinking it).
We were privileged to travel all over the country for field trips visiting the best the wine industry had to offer. Marlborough, Hawkes Bay and North Canterbury to name a few!
During my final exams at Lincoln, I get a call from Simon Waghorn at Astrolabe Wines in Marlborough, “What’ve you got planned for when you finish uni?”.
I replied “Um, working for you hahaha!”
This lead to working with Preston Clark representing Astrolabe and a number of other wineries across the South Island.
After a year working out of Christchurch, I made the move to sunny Marlborough to begin my wine sales journey with Simon and Jane Waghorn at Astrolabe as their Sales Manager.
To say that I was a little bit terrified was an understatement. I was 23, green and thought I knew everything there was to know about wine… oh how wrong I was!
From 2015 through to 2018 I was based in Marlborough, learning a lot on the job and loving every moment. From domestic sales work, to Aussie and a stint in Asia with Jane, my time at Astrolabe gave me the tools to do what I am doing today!
In mid-2018, I made the move to the windy capital - Wellington! Armed with an old laptop, iPhone and a whole lot of determination, I set out into the world on my own and my brand - Wag & Co. The first 18 months were a bit of a shock to the system!
When people say ‘hussle’ that is exactly what I did. Visiting anyone and everyone that looked like they might want to buy some wine off me.
I am pretty proud to say that Wag & Co. lasted COVID-19, two lockdowns, excise increases and everything else in between!
We are truly passionate about what we do and are so grateful for everyone who has supported us in our journey thus far!
We’re excited to see what the future brings and where this world of booze will take us next.
“Combining my knowledge and enthusiasm, Wag & Co. aims to bring together good people with good wine, the same way it has brought my family together.”