Swift Wines opens Hawke’s Bay cellar door with dachshunds and an all-female team

Hawke's Bay winemaker Lauren Swift at her new cellar door with her three dachshunds: Pipi (in her arms), Marceline (left) and Tina. Photo / Rafaella Melo

At 13, she was out in Marlborough vineyards tying down young vines for pocket money.

At 18, she tried her first sip of wine. By 25, she had won New Zealand Young Winemaker of the Year.

A decade on, Hawke’s Bay winemaker Lauren Swift says there are still few women in head-winemaker roles, and she wants to show there is space for more.

This month, the 36-year-old is opening her first cellar door in Fernhill with an all-female team, a hot-pink feature wall and labels inspired by her three sausage dogs.

“To make that happen, people need to be on different schedules,” she told Hawke’s Bay Today.

“For example, I always pick the boys up at like 4pm, so we have the afternoons together and that’s a really important time for me as a mum.”

Swift said Hawke’s Bay winemaking is still largely a male domain.

“There are lots of women in the business, but not many in the head-winemaker seats,” she said.

She believes part of the barrier is the difficulty of balancing pregnancy, harvest and childcare.

“I can see it from both sides,” Swift says.

“I run two businesses and have two boys, 3 and 1. But I just feel people could be more flexible ... even with job-sharing.

“You want one person full time, but how about you take on two part-time people to cover the role?”

The make-up of her own team reflects that thinking. One mother of three works four days a week until mid-afternoon, another woman will staff the cellar door on weekends, and a third will work a hybrid cellar-door/winery role.

“It wasn’t a discrimination thing. It was simply who was the best fit, and it ended up being all women,” Swift said.

Inside the new cellar door, one wall stands out immediately: hot pink.

“The wall pink is memorable ... I want it to be like a big vibe that people want to get a picture against the pink wall.”

Men, she added, are absolutely welcome.

“There is no discrimination, and men shouldn’t feel offended by pink. It’s just a colour. And I think a lot of men can really get on board with it and enjoy.”

A second wall has yellow striping to match her newer wines, including her sparkling albarino “Pipi”, the only one of its kind made in Hawke’s Bay, and among the first in New Zealand.

Two of her wines are named after her sausage dogs, Pipi and Marceline.

Lauren Swift's wines, inspired by her sausage dogs, include the sparkling albarino Pipi, the only one of its kind made in Hawke’s Bay.

When this reporter arrived for the interview, all three dogs rushed to the door, each showing a distinct personality.

Pipi was the first to bound over, very energetic, Marceline followed a moment later, friendly but calmer. Florentine, affectionately called Tina, stayed back until approached, then melted into pats.

Their personalities are reflected on the labels, Swift says.

“The sparkling albarino is fun and fresh, like Pipi,” she said.

Marceline fronts the traditional-method bubbly.

And Tina, the most reserved, is “waiting for the right wine”.

“Maybe a sparkling rosé in a dark bottle because she has this strong exterior, but actually she’s like a marshmallow inside,” Swift says.

The cellar door is already open to the public, but the official launch will be held on November 29 at the former Stonecroft site on Mere Rd.

And yes, if Swift is on-site, the dogs will be there too.

“They are a part of the family,” she says.

“We changed our family car when we had a second baby, with the seat that folded down so the dogs could get in the back and had enough room. That’s how involved they are with everything. They come everywhere.”

The opening event invites people to bring their dogs for a professional photo at the cellar door, plus a glass of wine, for $25.