Grant Taylor is one of New Zealand’s most awarded winemakers, earning a string of gold medal and trophy accolades throughout his long career. However, none surpasses winning the trophy for ‘Best Pinot Noir’ at a major International Wine Competition in London an unprecedented four times – a feat achieved by no other winemaker in the world.

Grant established Valli in 1998 after eighteen years of winemaking experience in the USA, Australia, France, and New Zealand. His philosophy was to highlight the differences between subregions in Otago.

Born in Otago, Grant was educated at Lincoln College in Canterbury. In 1980, he helped establish Pine Ridge Winery in Napa, California and made wine there until 1986. In 1987, he helped build another Napa winery, Domaine Napa, and worked there as head winemaker until 1993.

Lured back to Otago in 1993 by the promise of large and plentiful trout, clean air, fewer people and the potential he saw for Otago wines, Grant signed on as winemaker for Gibbston Valley Wines. At that time, only 20 hectares of grapes were planted in Otago; today there are over 2000.

As a pioneering winemaker in Otago, Grant produced the first vintages for many of the region’s well-known labels including Mt Difficulty, Felton Road, Carrick, Peregrine, Mount Edward, Hawkshead, Mondillo, Bald Hills, and Rockburn.

All roads lead here. Group Leadership, Hospitality, Wine Industry, Art and Art Teaching have been salient life experiences that vividly contribute to Nicole’s role within VALLI.

An Oregon native and graduate of Stanford University, Jen adds a depth of international winemaking experience including in the USA, France, South Africa and Australia. She has completed 21 harvests in NZ and over 35 vintages overall. Here in Otago, Jen was the head winemaker for Olssens (which went on to become Terra Sancta), from 2009 till 2014.

Prior to joining Valli, Jen was the first winemaker to receive the ‘Champion Winemaker Award’ at the prestigious New Zealand International Wine Show. With Jen leading the winemaking team, our wines continue to receive top recognition including trophy honours both domestic and international - with the IWC (International Wine Challenge, London), the Decanter World Wine Awards, and the NZ Royal Easter Show to name a few. Jen was awarded the Winemaker of the Year as part of the NZ International Aromatics Competition in 2018 and nominated as one of six finalists in the Gourmet Traveller WINE New Zealand Winemaker of the Year in 2019. In 2020, she was nominated for a second time - but this time she took home the title of New Zealand Winemaker of the Year.

Beyond her commitment to making consistent, top quality, site-expressive wines, Jen is very open-minded and inquisitive, putting her at the forefront of innovation and experimentation with skin contact Pinot Gris, oak forests, and fermentation techniques including whole cluster fermentation.

Callum’s wine journey has taken him across continents, immersing himself in diverse winemaking traditions and cultural experiences. His passion for wine began during his formative years in the wine region of Hawke's Bay, NZ.

After completing a Marketing and Commerce degree at the University of Otago, Callum landed the role of Marketing Manager for renowned London-based wine merchants The New Zealand Cellar. Surrounded by European wine regions, he seized the opportunity to immerse himself in the vibrant wine culture and expand his knowledge of wine.

While in Europe, Callum decided he wanted to “get his hands dirty” and pursue a career as a winemaker. There he made the pivotal decision to return home to New Zealand and enroll in EIT (Eastern Institute of Technology) where he completed a postgraduate diploma in Oenology. His first vintage was in his birthplace, Hawkes Bay, under the tutelage of Tony Prichard at De La Terre.

Eager to expand his knowledge and expedite his new career, Callum returned overseas for winemaking experience. He ventured to the renowned McLaren Vale region in South Australia to work with a number of interesting varieties that excel in the Mediterranean climate. After Australia, he worked in Slovenia, immersing himself in the craft of producing skin contact wine in one of the spiritual homes of this distinctive style. This interest in skins contact or “orange” wines was ultimately what brought him to Valli.

Hollis joins us with a background in sales, marketing and design, primarily within the hospitality industry, both here in Otago and in her homeland, the United States. Like many in the wine industry, Hollis didn't take the most direct route to get here. After obtaining a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Louisiana State University, she ventured out into the world with the intention of capturing it through the lens of her camera, moving to New Zealand in 2007. However, the natural beauty, laid-back lifestyle and of course, world-class wine at her door step (not to mention a certain New Zealand-born gentleman who is now her husband) instead captured her. Her long-standing passion for wine grew as she got to know the Otago region while heading up the marketing for a group of local restaurants. It wasn't long before she made the move to the wine world, joining the Valli team in 2011, and she has never looked back. Hollis holds a level 3 certification with the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, for which she was awarded distinction. For a Mississippi girl who loves to wear cowboy boots as much as she loves to wear pearls, the wine industry allows her the opportunity to do both.

Starting her career in the Santa Cruz Mountains in California, Kelley was drawn back to the land of the long white cloud by its unique culture and geography plus the promise and challenge of cool climate wine growing.

Having worked in vineyards and wineries throughout the world including Burgundy, Oregon, California, Australia and New Zealand, Kelley has a broad range of experience both growing and making wine. An Honours graduate of the Viticulture and Oenology program at the University of California, Davis, and a Level II Certified Sommelier, Kelley brings a comprehensive knowledge base to the Valli team.

While she has enjoyed working with many different varieties, her focus over the past several years has been on Pinot Noir and aromatic whites, with an emphasis on understanding how various combinations of soil types and climate shape the resulting wines. It’s no wonder that managing Valli’s different sub regional vineyards is something she is particularly excited by, always with the goal to allow for each site to individually express themselves.

Born in Christchurch, Kathryn is a long-time lover of Central Otago wines with a particular fondness for Valli. When a position became available on the Valli team in late 2020, she jumped at the opportunity to transfer her administration skills to a new industry.

Prior to entering the wine world Kathryn part-owned and managed several tourism businesses over her nearly 20 years in Queenstown. She has well established roots in Queenstown and the wider South Island – where she has raised two daughters along with her husband.

Andrew grew up in Wanaka just after the first Pinot Noir grapes were planted in Central Otago. His journey to wine took what seemed like a lifetime and a trip to Australia followed by North America before discovering his passion for wine. After attending college in Arizona, Andrew found that engineering was not his destiny, but hospitality and wine just might be. Arizona was not the most idyllic location for a water-loving Kiwi so he moved to Seattle where he could satisfy his two passions: wine and sailing. Seattle being just north of Oregon, Andrew was able to experience the Oregon Pinot Noir scene while working in hospitality and wine distribution. After 12 years in the restaurant industry, he transferred his skills to the distribution side of things where his knowledge and passion grew. Returning to New Zealand in 2014, he moved back to Central Otago and continued working in wine and hospitality. Andrew now lives in Kurow where he manages the newly-opened Valli Wine Bar and spends his downtime enjoying all the wonderful water sports available in the Waitaki Valley.

Dean Browne, also known as Deano, was born and bred in Oamaru.

After working as a Forestry Contractor, Dean started his career in viticulture in the Waitaki Valley in 2008, when the growing of vines in the area was in its infancy.

Having now worked in over 12 vineyards in the Waitaki Valley and several others outside the area, Dean has learnt the skills and knowledge required to successfully provide good results. He has progressed from general vineyard work to roles of supervisor and viticulturist. With over 10 years experience Dean endeavours to work with the environment in order to produce the best grapes.

Hands on and passionate about viticulture in the Waitaki Valley region, Dean also enjoys the recreational opportunities the area provides. An avid jet-skier, waterskier and fisherman he enjoys nothing more than getting out on the water especially on a calm day.

Petra is originally from Munich/ Bavaria - not wine, but beer country. She worked for 10 years in the Tourism industry in Munich before leaving Germany in 1989 to go on her OE (kiwi slang for "Overseas Experience") for one year. After visiting India and Nepal, she arrived in New Zealand were she cycled and tramped her way from Auckland down to Milford Sound. On her way back up the South Island, she met Steve, from Oregon, and both decided to stay in New Zealand a little bit longer. Now 31 years later, they are still here and in the meantime have brought up four children, living in the Waitaki Valley for the last 30 years.

Petra started working in the vineyards at Grant’s Road in 2007 for a few hours a week but within a year it had developed into a full-time job. She has worked at most vineyards in the area, supervising an interesting mix of local and international workers. She has also worked at most of the local cellar doors and has even done a fair amount of bottling in the local winery. When you live in Waitaki, you 'wear many hats'!

Petra believes in the sustainable way of growing grapes to benefit the soil and vines and the people who work with them. For her, the end goal always is to produce outstanding grapes and wine with lots of character and integrity.