Daughter of winemaker Brent Marris, Emma has grown up alongside wine. Here she talks to Drinks Retailing about the family business, creating her own brand and New Zealand’s Waihopai Valley

You come from a winemaking family. Did you always want to follow the same path?

I grew up in a family where wine was part of our DNA. My grandfather, John Marris, helped plant some of the first commercial vineyards in Marlborough in the 1970s. Then my dad, Brent Marris, carried that legacy forward by becoming Marlborough’s first qualified winemaker and building brands like The Ned. So, there was always that connection. I didn’t know what aspect of the industry I’d end up in but, even as a kid, I was always drawn to wine. My sisters and I have incredibly fond memories of riding harvesters, tasting ferments and digging out Pinot Noir tanks.

You have your own brand, Emma Marris, under the Marisco umbrella. Can you tell us more?

Emma Marris is a brand where I make wines from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc. It’s amazing because it’s given me the freedom to express my own creative vision and sense of identity. The wines reflect my ambition to craft premium, small-volume bottlings that showcase the best of what our vineyards can produce, and the winemaking allows me to combine everything I’ve learned from the time I’ve spent in France, the US and Australia.

The Emma Marris Sauvignon Blanc is available through Majestic, why did you launch that one? Are others coming too?

Sauvignon Blanc just felt like the natural place to begin, given how closely it is tied to Marlborough’s global reputation. With the Emma Marris wine I really wanted to capture the sub-regional character and the nuances that come from the Waihopai Valley. This year in the UK, I’m excited because we’re also going to be releasing the Chardonnay and the Pinot Noir through Majestic.

Do you have a favourite grape to work with?

I love all three varieties because they each have something quite different to offer, but Chardonnay has a special place in my heart because it’s a wine I love to drink and it’s also something I’m excited about as our vines get older. It’s all about small parcels in the vineyard, hand-harvesting from specific sites and then longer maturation in the winery.