One of Martinborough's oldest wineries has a new winemaker and a new look.

Guy McMaster will replace chief winemaker Allan Johnston, who departs after 28 years at the helm of this noble winery in Wellington's nearest wine region.

The role of chief winemaker will also change going forward - McMaster will double as viticulturist-winemaker, tending the vines as well as transforming the fruits of his labours into wine for the company's two brands - Palliser and Pencarrow.

The wines are named after lighthouses on the south Wairarapa coast. 

As our evocative picture on this blog shows, the new look pays homage to the coast and also to a woman who played a pivotal role in history there. Mary Jane Bennett lost her lighthouse keeper husband in 1855 and gained a new job at the same time. She became the country's first female lighthouse keeper. She kept this significant role for 10 years while simultaneously raising five children alone. It was no mean feat back then. Nor would it be now.

The new look Pencarrow range pays tribute to Mary Jane's courage and her pioneering role on the wild south coast.

"The transformation of our everyday wine brand Pencarrow is the latest of our projects to come to fruition. Named after the rugged south coast of our region, we wanted our new branding to pay tribute to its beauty and the resilience of those who live there. Most of all we wanted our new look and attitude to connect with our Pencarrow customers," says Palliser Estate CEO Pip Goodwin.

“It’s exciting to see the new brand for Pencarrow come to life on shelf after spending a lot of time recently focussing on our Palliser Estate range. We know people will continue to love this everyday wine with the added bonus of knowing this extraordinary woman’s contribution to our regions history.”