The Wild Bunch
Movers, shakers and groundbreakers of the New Zealand wine industry
By Joëlle Thomson
Foreword by Tim Atkin MW
Published by New Holland • Publication date, 16th November • RRP $39.99
‘There have been other well-written overviews of the Kiwi wine industry, but no one has sought to tell this
extraordinary tale through the eyes of the people at the sharp, or rather sticky, end: Joëlle Thomson’s magnificent wild
bunch.’ — Tim Atkin MW from his foreword in The Wild Bunch
Wine writer, journalist, author, teacher and wine lover, Joëlle Thomson shares stories from the vineyards to the wine
glass, in her new book The Wild Bunch: Movers, shakers and ground-breakers of the New Zealand wine industry.
The 18 ‘quietly powerful individuals’ who are also ‘philosophers, modernists, scientists, hedonists and party animals’ –
as she calls them – have revolutionised our burgeoning New Zealand industry and with each chapter she tells of their
successes mixed with trials. Critically, these ‘movers’ and ‘shakers’ exhibit the perseverance, ingenuity and sheer
dedication to making the best wine possible.
The Wild Bunch peels off the label from the bottle: Joëlle’s ‘wildest’ winemakers are the men and women who traipse the vineyards,
drive the tractors and get their hands and feet dirty to pursue their passions to make bloody good wine – the winemakers
worth popping a cork for.
Joëlle Thomson is a leading New Zealand wine writer whose weekly wine column now appears in The Dominion Post in Wellington; Christchurch Press and Waikato Times. She edits Drinksbiz, writes for New Zealand Wine Grower and teaches at the NZ School of Food & Wine. Joëlle has judged wine competitions in New Zealand and Australia, and is a member of the British-based Circle of
Wine Writers.
• A challenging exposé of the New Zealand wine industry through the eyes of some its most experienced hands of today.
• Wine recommendations and predictions from a hand-picked selection of the industry’s most trend-setting exponents.
• Highly regarded and trusted author of a decade’s worth of wine guides and three other leading titles on New Zealand
wine.
• Foreword by Tim Atkin, an award-winning wine writer and Master of Wine based in London.
ENDS