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Northland born and bred, Ben Byrne joined The Landing in 2019 and has established himself in New Zealand’s wine industry as a sensitive and artistic winemaker with the ability to craft complex and distinctive wines. After completing a degree in viticulture and oenology from Lincoln University, he gained experience in Australia and California before returning to New Zealand to work under award-winning winemaker Rod MacIvor at Marsden Estate while nurturing his own label, Byrne Wines.
At Marsden Estate, Ben first encountered The Landing wine, which was being made there at the time. Ben worked on every vintage from 2012 onwards, getting to know the fruit, and when The Landing’s own winery drew close to completion in 2019, he joined The Landing team as head winemaker, having had input into the design of the new building.
Ben’s winemaking style is led by the grapes, season by season, using a light hand to “see what the fruit is telling us”. He enjoys working at a boutique label where he can guide the wines through every step of the winemaking process from the ground up. This responsive approach coaxes the best from the terroir and has led to The Landing wines gathering numerous gold medals and acclaim from critics.
With more than a decade of experience in horticulture and viticulture behind her, Tereza Byrne works hand-in-hand with husband Ben Byrne to nurture more than 10 grape varieties at The Landing. Originally hailing from the Czech Republic, where she worked as an accountant, she came to New Zealand in 2011 and soon became involved in winegrowing, working with Ben on their own label before joining The Landing in 2014.
Today she leads a seasonally changing team of between two and eight people. She takes a technology-led approach to vineyard management, employing under-vine mowing to minimize chemical use, while using hand-picking and leaf-plucking for a highly customized approach that gets the best from each block.
Tereza loves the challenge of winegrowing and working with constantly changing inputs like the weather and new teams of people to keep things interesting. Her own tastes in wine run to mellow aromatics like Viognier and Gewurztraminer, though she also enjoys a Chardonnay.
One of New Zealand’s top winemakers, Warren Gibson is renowned for creating wines with a true sense of place. A former New Zealand Winemaker of the Year and a highly experienced wine show judge, as well as winemaker at Trinity Hill and Bilancia Wines, Warren contributes ongoing insight and a deep understanding of terroir that help shape the unique character and flair of The Landing wine. He also co-hosts the bi-annual Weekend with the Winemakers at The Landing alongside Ben Byrne.
Originally from West Auckland, Shelley joined The Landing in 2022 as Assistant Winemaker. Her journey into wine began in her teenage years, working part-time in vineyards, which sparked a passion that led her to study Winemaking and Viticulture. She is currently furthering her expertise through additional study in Wine Science.
At The Landing, Shelley divides her time between the vineyard and the winery, gaining hands-on experience across every stage of the winemaking process—from tending vines to bottling. She thrives on the variety the role offers and enjoys seeing each vintage through from beginning to end.
As managing director of The Landing Wine USA, which imports and wholesales The Landing wines in United States, Adam leads the second generation in the Cooper family bringing The Landing wines Stateside. Born in New Zealand, Adam is a long-time resident of Newport Beach, and grew up holidaying at The Landing with his family. Having tasted the wines from the initial vintage in 2009, Adam has since pursued his own sommelier qualifications through WSET, making him the perfect local ambassador to share his family's wines and The Landing’s deep-rooted story. Working throughout California, Adam leads the sales and distribution of The Landing Wines in the USA, alongside his brother Kris. When time permits, he gets back home to The Landing in the New Zealand summer to help Ben and Tereza in the vineyard and winery during harvest.
Kris’ connection to The Landing Wines started in 1999, when he camped on the family property with his father. In 2023, Kris joined forces with Adam to promote the family’s wines in the U.S., sharing the spirit of our land with new audiences.
Together, Adam and Kris are dedicated to carrying forward our tradition and cultivating the land and wine we hold dear.
