Wine pioneer honoured for services to industry

Geoffrey Thorpe has been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit. Photo / Supplied

New Year Honours: Geoffrey Thorpe, Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

Geoffrey Thorpe has been made an Officer of New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to the wine industry in New Zealand.

Thorpe was a pioneer in viticulture, establishing Linnaeus Laboratory in 1999 to provide the vine nursery industry with an accredited virus testing service.

His Riversun Nursery launched New Zealand's first independently audited grapevine certification programme in 2000 and established a privately operated grapevine quarantine facility.

Thorpe has introduced more than 120 new varieties and clones to the New Zealand wine industry over the last decade.