Sacred Hill is recognised as one of New Zealand's leading, multi award winning wineries. Focusing on the production of premium 'handcrafted' varietal wines the company's estate vineyards are located in New Zealand's leading grape growing regions of Marlborough, Hawkes Bay and Central Otago.
David Mason
David Mason, together with his brother Mark, founded Sacred Hill Winery in 1986.
The brothers came from an established farming family in the Hawke's Bay growing up on 'Dartmoor', the family farm near Puketapu. Their father, Ian Mason, had the foresight to see that grapes could grow particularly well given the soil and climatic conditions of the area and was one of the first farmers to diversify by planting grapes. These grapes were initially grown under contract and sold to other winemaking producers.
Before trying their hand at making their own wine both brothers enjoyed periods overseas. Mark finished his OE with a degree at the renowned Roseworthy College in Adelaide. David's travels included vintages in Bordeaux, France as well as a spell working in the Middle East as a professional diver. Therefore the brothers, each with their little bit of expertise, decided it would be fun to produce their own label. In 1987 Sacred Hill opened with its first vintage the 1986 Fume Blanc. This wine, of which only 300 cases were produced, was a great success and prompted the brothers to really focus their energies on producing wine.
David is now the Managing Director of Sacred Hill and since the bottling of its first vintage in 1986, David has nurtured the growth of Sacred Hill through its evolution from a small family business to one of New Zealand’s leading category three wineries. During this time his involvement has spanned all areas of the business with particular emphasis on sales, marketing and brand management.
As Managing Director, David has charted the direction of the winery, leading the drive to increase production with the establishment of the modern Hastings winery in 1995 and managing the transition towards increasing professional discipline in financial and operational management.
David however remains insistent that the heart of Sacred Hill remains a family affair. Sacred Hill's Cellar Door still remains on the Mason family farm in the Dartmoor Valley. Despite the rapid growth of Sacred Hill, David places a huge emphasis on the hospitality Sacred Hill has to offer as well as stunning wines of world-class standard.
