the not serious Dave Mackintosh

Coordinating a time to record a chat with winemaker Dave Mackintosh in Auckland isn’t so hard. He’s something of a flying winemaker, dividing his time between the Big Smoke where his wife, Caitlin and their kids live, and Hawkes Bay where he makes wine under his newly established Kenzie brand. 

The Mackintosh clan returned home to Aotearoa after a solid fifteen years in Australia. If you’ve spent 10 minutes in a wine bar in Melbourne you may have crossed paths with Arfion, a wine made by Dave in a wine project that also involves his bros, Jimmy and Dad, Brian. 

Family is important to this laddie. Much of the reasoning behind the return to Aotearoa was to explore the legacy left by some stoic Scottish ancestors. Indeed, Kenzie draws its name from Annabella MacKenzie, Dave’s Great Grandmother who survived months in a boat on the ocean, the great depression and the Napier earthquake to put down new roots in the hope of starting a better life. 

She ought to be proud. The wines crafted in her honour pay homage by stylistically challenging the norms while artistically stating their place.

Part of our research before locking Dave in our padded sound studio was to blast out the beats of El Michel Affair and their rendition of the '90's hip hop Wu-tang Clan track Tearz. A tune that resonated so much with Dave he made and named a wine after it.

It was lovely to be introduced to Dave by the good folk at By The Bottle. We chatted away like old pals in a pub. So, pour yourself a wee dram of something bonnie, pack a plate of tatties to go with it and rest up for a wee spell of Coorie. This is the not serious Dave Mackintosh chat. 

not serious wine chats would like to thank our supporters:
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Special thanks to my pal, Benj Brooking of Popular.nz for his help with the editing. An expert filmmaker, editing these chats is being done as one mate helping another. Thanks Benj. You're a legend.

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