Jody Pagey
South Island born and bred and Winemaker for Providore Wines. I live on a lifestyle block in Central Otago with my wife Meghan, Huntaway dog Forrest, two cats Isla and Barry, four chickens, a rooster named Bernard, a pair of pigs called Big Stripe and Scratch and their 12 piglets. I moved to Central Otago in 2007 to start the more settled stage of my winemaking career after spending 2 years as a travelling winemaker, I spent a further seven years winemaking at Terra Sancta. I didn’t realise at the time that it would lead to me discovering so many wonderful things that would play such important roles in my life. It was in Central Otago that I meet my wife, learned to ski, adopted my first dog, started restoring an old Land Rover, purchased our first home and began a journey of discovery and learning with Pinot Noir that continues to this day.
My winemaking philosophy is one of restraint. I think the role of the winemaker should be one of interpretation. Listening to the season, understanding what that means for the fruit and then translating that into wine that speaks of its origins. The vineyard, the soils and the season should be easily recognisable in the wines, not the winemaker.
Providore for me represents all that is great about Central Otago. We source fruit from all four corners of the this diverse and untamed region. We then explore the different stylistic options this pioneering winemaking frontier has to offer. Our hand is not forced like other wine regions by generations of tradition , rather we are still young and curious with our winemaking. The privilege of learning and including techniques from the old world along side the freedom to continue our ever evolving understanding of Central Otago makes this a special place to be making wine.