Hi there, I’m Johnny.

I’m a Hong Kong born Chinese and went to New Zealand with my family when I was 12. I studied Hospitality Management and Events Management in Switzerland and found my passion for wine when I studied there.

After I came back to NZ, I decided to go to Hawke’s Bay, the wine country of New Zealand, to further my study in Viticulture and Winemaking. I gained my first wine award as a student after three months of study; the Chardonnay that I made with my team won a Silver award and was a runner up in a wine competition.

After working in some of the most renowned vineyards and wineries in New Zealand, I had the opportunity to setup my own vineyard and winery and make wine in my own style. I am the first and only Hong Kong Chinese winemaker in New Zealand.

With help from my family, I managed to setup a testing site in Clevedon, Auckland, one of the emerging grape growing regions in the country. Situated within view of Waiheke Island, with the best location and mesoclimate, I aim to make some of the best red wine in the country.

The vineyard and winery is called Kauri Peninsula, sometimes I just refer to KP. We plant our own grapes and make our own wine on site; trailing more than sixteen varieties of grapes. We have the most in the region, but all in very small quantities. KP is one of the best looking vineyards in the country, a vineyard peninsula surrounded by sea on three sides. Although not yet open to the public and the wine not yet commercially released, I believe Kauri Peninsula is a name that will be recognized in the very near future. People will be stunned by the quality of the wine it produces and also the views!

Other than KP, I am also currently looking after Bruce and Joy Peart’s Clevedon Twilight Vineyards. Twilight Vineyards has a lot of potential and will be a star in the future! I’m committed to continuing the brand and fulfilling Bruce and Joy’s dream of producing some of the best quality wine in the region and developing the brand to a world acclaimed wine label.

I also opened a New Zealand Wine & Gift Shop with my mum Lily at Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. It's a New Zealand specialist shop that sells wine from all different regions.

Apart from wine, my family is also establishing a new Luxury Lodge at Auckland, New Zealand, that's Zen Garden at Whitford.

Drop me an e-mail if you like our photos, hope you like the beautiful NZ landscape!

Cheers!

Johnny Leung