It's often said that behind every overnight success, there's 20 years in the making but it's been a longer game for Kevin and Kimberley Judd, who were were given the Wine Marlborough Lifetime Achievement Award for 2025 this week. Not bad for a couple who only planned to remain in Aotearoa New Zealand for three years when they first arrived in 1983.  

“Kevin’s influence on Marlborough’s global reputation has been profound, through the extraordinary wines of Cloudy Bay and Greywacke and the beautiful photography that has put our vines and vineyards on coffee tables and walls around the world,” says Wine Marlborough General Manager Marcus Pickens. 

“Kimberley’s wine marketing, hosting and support, from the fledgling days of Cloudy Bay to the growth of Greywacke since 2009, have helped cast a light on Marlborough.” 

The couple was on a photography trip in the mountains of Southeast China when the award was announced at the Marlborough Wine Show Celebration on 14 November. And, in his typical laconic fashion, Kevin said they were both proud to be given the award but that a lifetime award seemed premature - “We haven’t finished yet.”

They were both born in England, moving to Australia when they were young; Kimberley studied politics and history at Adelaide University and met Kevin when he was studying winemaking at Roseworthy College.

In February 1983 Kevin took a job with Selaks in West Auckland, with the couple planning to stay in New Zealand for three years. But the next year he met David Hohnen (then-owner of Cloudy Bay Wines) at a wine show, changing the course of the Judd’s lives. 

The rest is history - in the making. 

As Kevin says, "We haven't finished yet."

Their son, Alex Judd, works in the business and the family have plans for further wines and growth. 

Greywacke wine reviews

18.5/20
2023 Greywacke Riesling RRP $29.99

Ripe limes and fleshy lemons with a hint of honey; clover rather than manuka. This wine rocks depth with its medium body, bold powerful ripe citrus aromas and a weighty richness in the mouth followed by a crisp, dry taste on the finish. Delicious now, it will age superbly for seven to eight years+, depending how enjoy Riesling's distinctive aged characters. Medium dry.

18.5/20
2025 Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc RRP $25.99

Fresh, dry and layered Sauvignon Blanc with lively just-picked green herb aromas and a gentle tropical twist, leading into a wine with a delicious fleshy weight - this is an outstanding expression of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc from one of the absolute pioneers of the region and the wine, Kevin Judd.