Ken and Jill Small abandoned the long, cold winters of a Southland sheep farm to pursue a vision of making good wine in sunny Marlborough. They realized their dream at a property along Wrekin Road close to the head of Marlborough's Brancott Valley near Blenheim. Ken and Jill started growing grapes under contract, planting vines on their first eight hectares of Fairhall River Valley land in 1982. In 1994, they formed a partnership with daughter Julie and her husband Stuart Smith who, like Ken, came from an agricultural background, farming with sheep and deer in Canterbury. Together, Ken and Stuart worked side by side at Fairhall Downs. Vineyard tips and techniques were passed on, hopes and ambitions shared and soon a winemaker was being hired. The first bottle of Fairhall Downs Sauvignon Blanc was produced in 1996. Fairhall Downs»