Dr. John Loughlin was a Havelock North based eye specialist with a fondness and interest in wine. That interest became hands-on in 1988, when he planted his property on the Te Mata-Mangateretere Road in vines.

The venture blossomed into Waimaramara Estate, which gained a reputation for making concentrated, supple Bordeaux-style reds. Bordeaux was Dr. Loughlin’s holy grail, home of the wines he most admired.

He sold Waimaramara Estate in the late ‘90s, but couldn’t resist starting again soon after when a superb site close to Havelock North became available. He planted what became the Zepelin vineyard in 1997, and produced the first vintage in 2000.

Dr. John Loughlin produced three vintages before selling the winery and vineyard in 2004. Sadly, he died not long after.

His memory lives on in the remarkable vineyard and wines he left behind. His painstaking, dedicated approach to making wine will be continued at Zepelin.