CHRIS ARCHER

Chris is the Managing Director of Archer McRae Beverages (AMB) in New Zealand, which he founded in 2011. Before this, he spent time honing his winemaking craft with leading wine companies in Australia such as Tyrell’s Wines, Pepper Tree Wines, Audrey Wilkinson & Parker Estate.

In 2000 he moved to New Zealand to take the Chief Winemaker role for Morton Estate, where he worked for five years before moving to Martinborough to focus on his love of Pinot Noir. During this period, Chris won several international wine trophies across multiple varieties, demonstrating his abilities in premium winemaking with a focus on cultural influences and the expression of terroir.

Following the global financial crisis, Chris focused on the failings and advantages of the traditional wine industry model, specifically in comparison to other successful beverage category models and behaviours.

Launching AMB was the start of Chris’s wine revolution, and the gloves were off. So began a serious reinvention of how wine was packaged, market engaged, environmental issues championed, and the push of the magic of wine to the consumer who had previously been lured by the smoke and mirrors of other beverage categories.