Marlborough wine industry entering ‘end game’ as competition for vineyard land heats up

The wine industry in Marlborough is entering its end game, according to one industry expert. Cloudy Bay Vineyards estate director Ian Morden said there used to be plenty of useable land in the region, but now the end game was in play as companies began to compete for scarce vineyard space. He compared this to players on a chess board, positioning themselves to acquire the best vineyard land for the kind of wine they wanted to produce.