About
Ahi Kā is a trail-blazing wine business, producing outstanding single vineyard Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc wines in partnership with growers.
Founded by international award-winning winemaker Matt Thomson, who has thirty one Marlborough vintages under his belt, Master of Wine Sophie Parker-Thomson, and foundation grower John Blackmore, Ahi Kā disrupts the low-value, homogenous commodity model of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc by establishing high-quality, ethical and sustainable partnerships with growers that are long-term in nature.
The launch of Ahi Kā heralds their desire to inspire change in the Marlborough wine industry, creating higher, more sustainable returns for growers and a collective pride in high-quality product. Ahi Kā is a partnership where the growers are incentivised through a transparent model that rewards them directly for the quality that they produce and delivers higher quality, outstanding wines to Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc lovers that guarantee provenance and a way to connect with the land, grower and their ethos.
WHAT IS AHI KA?
Ahi Kā is a New Zealand Māori (Te Ao Māori) concept, which roughly translates to ‘keep the home fires burning.’ It harks back to pre-European times when a fire burning on a piece of land symbolised that there was a claim over it and that it was occupied. If the flame was extinguished, land usage rights would cease.
Continuous occupation, ahi kā, was a vital part of early New Zealand land rights.
We adopt Ahi Kā in a modern sense, to use the land in a sustainable way so that it may be passed down from generation to generation, leaving it in a better state than when one came to knowing it.
Through the Ahi Kā brand, we’re telling the stories of Marlborough growers who are farming their land to produce exceptional quality fruit in a way that means their home fires will always be burning, ready to pass down to the next generation. These are single vineyard Sauvignon Blancs with real provenance, multi-generational stories and a genuine commitment to sustainability.