Martinborough winery Ata Rangi has risen above a field of top class businesses to receive the title of Supreme Winner at the Wellington Gold Awards.

The Gold Awards were established in 1999 to celebrate the excellence, innovation and enterprise of businesses in Wellington. It is only the second year that the awards have been widened to include the Wellington region, and the win is a first for any business in the Wairarapa.

Export Marketing Director and Ata Rangi co-owner Phyll Pattie says the result places Ata Rangi amongst a select list of top Wellington-based global brands and businesses: "It’s an honour to be aligned with past winners such as Icebreaker, Weta Workshop, Trilogy and Xero, and we’re proud to be flying the flag for Wairarapa with this result," she says.

The Awards cover ten categories and are presented at an annual gala dinner attended by 800 people from across the region and from a wide range of industries. "We entered Global Gold, focused on exporting, and were delighted to win that, but we never imagined we would be in the running for the Supreme Award, given the amazing achievements of so many of the finalists."

Ms Pattie explains that success within the wine industry demands an unwavering commitment to quality in order to build brand and markets: "This recognition is the result of many years of hard work. Ata Rangi has benefitted from the dedication of our growers and the commitment and skill of long-serving staff, particularly vineyard manager Gerry Rotman and talented winemaker Helen Masters," she adds.

Ata Rangi has fourteen staff in full time and permanent part time roles and also employs around 35 seasonal workers for picking, as well as teams of contract workers for leaf-plucking, netting, pruning and other vineyard tasks during the year.

The family-owned and managed company was founded in 1980 by Clive Paton, one of a handful of people to pioneer winegrowing in the region. Clive’s sister Alison Paton is the company’s business manager. Ata Rangi is firmly entrenched in a number of major conservation initiatives, including a collaboration with Project Crimson and founder Clive Paton’s founding of the Aorangi Restoration Trust. Ata Rangi wines are exported to more than 25 countries, with export earnings accounting for around 60% of the company’s revenue.