History
Like the river that engraves the land, JULICHER, meaning ‘to seek the ideal’, has carved its own path to become a globally recognised, champion New Zealand wine producer of Pinot Noir.
Julicher Estate was born in 1996, when Wim Julicher fell in love with the secret valley of Martinborough, Te Muna.
Carved thousands of years ago, by the Huangarua river of Martinborough, Te Muna valley is notable for its deep, mineral-rich, alluvial gravels. These soils aligned with the warm days, cool nights and low rainfall of the region, result in the outstanding Pinot Noir wines that Martinborough is valued for.
Planting vines and an olive grove on 50 acres of bare farmland, Wim sought to realise a dream. Meaning “to seek the ideal” and having created a truly idyllic spot, it was fitting that the name the Estate itself, would be Julicher.
Since establishment 20 years ago, Julicher Estate wines have consistently won gold medals and trophies around the globe. Maintaining a hands-on approach, Julicher Estate is rated as one of the top 50 wine producers of New Zealand and has established strong distribution and export markets throughout Asia and Europe.
Like most new world wine producers, Wim Julicher’s background is that of a completely different industry. Having emigrated from Holland to New Zealand in 1972, Wim spent 25 years in the building industry. A profession that taught him the value of hard work, resilience and with more than a dash of Dutch Courage, to see a project through. Although he loves to be in the vineyard, Wim spends most of his time creating, developing and growing Julicher Estate’s very busy export markets. As Wim’s partner in business and life, Sue comes from a Staff Training and administrative background where she developed an extra-specialist expertise in making sense of the nitty gritty. Always at Wim’s side, and with Ninja finesse, Sue ensures Julicher Estate runs as a strong and successful enterprise.