Our Team

Philip Walsh’s grandfather came to what is now the Bouldevines vineyard back in 1935. By the time Philip took over as the third generation on the family land, the winegrowing potential in Marlborough was just being discovered. Getting into the industry in its early days, Philip and Janey planted their vineyard and started contract growing grapes for other producers. This they would continue to do for the next 25 years, while raising their children Jeremy and Hannah.

With his vast farming and viticultural experience, Philip leads the family team. He is passionate about vineyard standards. He was involved in the development and planting of some of Marlborough’s earliest vineyards and knows the Bouldevines vineyard intimately. This wealth of knowledge and experience is one of Bouldevines’ most valuable assets and Philip’s extensive viticultural experience is key to the production of quality fruit for Bouldevines premium wines.

Janey has been at Philip’s side since the beginning. Her role since the inception of Bouldevines Wine has been to present the Bouldevines brand in New Zealand and overseas. It is Janey who travels to bring the face and the story of Bouldevines to those markets. She established the cellar door to be the window of Bouldevines to the world and has recruited a dedicated and knowledgable team to help drive the Bouldevines brand from strength to strength.

Apart from growing wine, Janey followed her passion for gardening, developing a 2ha garden open to the public. Philip was a very active sportsman, winning many trophies in motocross and even competing in the USA. Then he had a debilitating accident that changed everything for the family.

Out of this adversity, Bouldevines was born. Compelled to re-examine their life, the couple decided that starting their own wine brand instead of just supplying other winemakers would help ensure their family’s future on their land.

They released the first vintage of Bouldevines in 2005. Apart from the classic Marlborough varieties of Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, the couple have a special interest in aromatic white wines and expanded the Bouldevines range to reflect this passion.

Jeremy grew up on the Bouldevines vineyard, the fourth generation on the family land. He absorbed a huge amount of knowledge from his father, which has been supplemented and consolidated by doing a diploma in viticulture and oenology. After his studies, he returned to Marlborough as an independent viticulture contractor.

His father’s accident brought him back to the family vineyard, where he now manages all vineyard operations together with Sprig, the Huntaway puppy he adopted and who has become a constant presence on the vineyard. Bringing his own ideas and perspective to the vineyard Jeremy is putting his own stamp on Bouldevines Wines. He has been experimenting with different methods of management in the vineyard to ensure best quality fruit that yields the desired wine flavours.

Together with winemaker Drew Ellis, Jeremy was responsible for the creation of the Sprig wine range – fresh, lively wines crafted for the younger generation.

When the opportunity arises, Jeremy heads off to the coast to indulge his passions for surfing, diving and fishing.

Drew Ellis came all the way from Long Island, New York, to South Island, New Zealand.

After a childhood marked by fishing in the Long Island Sound, he moved to Colorado – supposedly to study, but really to do some serious snowboarding! His drift westward continued and he went to Oregon to complete his degree in fine art, majoring in sculpture and photography.

During this time, he also developed an interest in fermentation processes, specifically brewing beer. So when his father raised the idea to start a vineyard, Drew took the opportunity to study viticulture and winemaking, going to Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, to do so.

True to his word, he still helps as consultant winemaker and viticulturist for the vineyard his father started – Bellvale Wines in Victoria, Australia.

After graduating, Drew came to Marlborough to make wine in 2003. In the meantime, he settled down with a Kiwi wife – making wine and cheese, as well as pursuing his interest in horse riding, photography, fly fishing, clay bird shooting, reading and hiking.

He became the winemaker for Bouldevines when the brand first launched in April 2005. In addition, Drew also operates Ellis Wine & Viticulture, his own venture that looks not only after Bouldevines but also a growers collective, Marlborough Grape Producers.

“As a winemaker, I believe the inherent qualities of the grapes should determine the wine style, rather than trying to force the fruit into some preconceived idea of what the wine should be,” says Drew. “I let our excellent Marlborough fruit express itself.”

Wherever possible he likes to keep his wine in small batches that show the individuality of the vineyard block, and he stays close to the wines for the entire process, from the vines through to the bottle – crafting wine that really is true to the vine.

Melissa has a wealth of experience in office administration, both inside and outside the wine industry and has been part of Bouldevines since 2009. She keeps the whole team in order (including Philip and Janey!) and looks after all the company administration, accounts, payroll, logistics, and debtor control, making sure that everything happens on time and to budget. She also processes the sales orders and keeps the sales team up to the mark with their administrative duties.