Ata Rangi People: Ali
Ali Paton is the Ata Rangi General Manager and co-owner with Clive Paton and Phyll Pattie.
Sibling to Clive, she shares the family trait of the love of growing things and being surrounded by plants and the wildlife that such nature invites.
Ali made her first investment into Ata Rangi with a piece of land alongside a block Clive already owned. That was 1984 and Ali was working over the hill as a Nurse in Wellington Hospital.
As the pumpkin and garlic crop on her land was quietly phased out for Pinot Noir vines, and after some time working abroad, Ali returned to New Zealand and officially joined the family business in 1990.
You could say it was something of a new start or perhaps even her very own, personal ‘ata rangi’.
What has been the most rewarding experience so far for you with Ata Rangi?
There have been too many moments that mean a lot for me to single any one out. We’ve been here for a long time and our intention is for that to continue. That means we’ve worked hard as a family to commit to this one thing and that’s something to be proud of. We have an incredible collective of wine enthusiasts all around the globe who have supported us for years. That’s rewarding. Inviting new people to share what we do at Ata Rangi and seeing them really enjoy their newly discovered favourite Ata Rangi wine, That’s rewarding. Surviving through really tough vintages and still producing world-class wine despite them. That’s rewarding. Having a really lovely glass of Pinot Noir and some delicious, locally made cheese to go with it on a Friday to finish off a busy week juggling work and family commitments - that’s also very rewarding!
Was wine always an industry that appealed to you?
I was nursing at Wellington hospital when I purchased the land that went on to becoming part of Ata Rangi. My interest and understanding of wine actually evolved when I lived in London for 4 years. I worked in a wine shop part-time and I completed the WSET Diploma of Wine while I was there. That’s where the love of wine was truly entrenched.
What do you do when you’re taking a break from wine work?
I grow things. Gardening is relaxing and fulfilling. Right now, I’m in a house plant phase again! If I’m really taking a break though, I enjoy travel with a food and culture focus. I had some incredible experiences visiting Lima with Sue and Janice from Eating Adventures.
You’ve got a great eye for design and Ata Rangi recently won an amazing accolade for the newly built Ata Rangi Tasting Room. How did the building come about?
We had always planned to build a dedicated Tasting Room at some stage, Twice we had concepts drawn but we just didn’t go any further with them for any number of reasons. With our 40th anniversary looming we took the plunge and engaged Makers of Architecture for the design and Makers Fabrication for the completion of the build. We love the space and have used it for a number of really special tastings already, one in particular being the exceptional vertical tasting of Ata Rangi Pinot Noir that spanned 26 vintages.
This is an impossible question but what is your favourite Ata Rangi wine and why?
Again, for our 40th anniversary celebration, we did a very special bottling in magnum format of the 2019 Abel clone Pinot Noir. This clone is a huge part of our Pinot Noir history and has always been a major influence in our blend of clones. This wine is the only time we have bottled just the Abel clone on its own and I loved the experience. That wine felt like the essence of Ata Rangi.
What is your most memorable wine and food match?
There have been many as Ata Rangi is poured in incredible restaurants all over the world but one lovely evening in February 2023, we had an Ata Rangi Dinner at Onslow by Josh Emett. He and his Sommeliers paired an indulgent cheese soufflé with the Ata Rangi Craighall Chardonnay 2017. Wow!!
If you could take a month off tomorrow to travel, where would you go?
Probably Japan – spending time wandering and eating in Tokyo would be great. I’d love to visit the ‘art Islands’ of Naoshima, Teshima and Inujima too. They sound incredible and then perhaps I’d like to head off to the countryside for some time to just walk and explore.
“The big one, made from 39 year-old Abel clone vines. Doesn’t sound like much but in New Zealand terms this spans the country’s development as a serious, wine-producing nation. Very aromatic, but into the spectrum of dried herbs, chamomile, and cedar box. An impressive, very plush, palate – big, with an incredible “structure” on the finish: it’s expansive and velvety but it ends, running on with the acid and the fine, fine tannin. An umami, lush, structured, beautiful wine.”
— 98 Points — Oliver Styles, clubonelogique.com
Ata Rangi Abel Pinot Noir 2019 — the rare single-clone wine. The small production run was bottled in magnum only and sold out quickly.