Other
Nick Mills
General Manager and Vigneron
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
Rippon’s work in Wānaka, Central Otago, New Zealand, is built around site rather than correction. As winemaker and GM at Rippon, Nick Mills works from family-planted vines by Lake Wānaka, where water, light, schist, season and old own-rooted vines define the material before it reaches the cellar. The practice is stated plainly: biodynamic grape growing, wild ferments, no irrigation, and a refusal to push the wines away from the place that produced them. The estate’s wine language is one of restraint. At Rippon, Mills works with fruit as an expression of its site, not as a blank input for cellar construction. The wines are intended to remain true to Wānaka, Central Otago, New Zealand: cool-climate, textured, and tied to the conditions of the vineyard.
The Climb
Today, Nick Mills is the General Manager and vigneron of Rippon Vineyard. The return to Rippon is part of the estate’s continuity. Born at Rippon to winegrowing parents, Mills grew up with the vineyard as a working place rather than an idea. A year in France as a child gave him a second language, and later provided a route to study winegrowing there as an adult before coming home. Family ownership and vineyard practice meet in the current work. The vines by Lake Wānaka are the basis of the estate’s identity, and Mills’ role is to carry that identity through farming, cellar decisions and finished wine without separating the wine from its origin.
Today
Mills is General Manager and Vigneron at Rippon Vineyard in Wānaka, New Zealand, and also serves as its winemaker and GM. His specialty is classic cool-climate Pinot Noir and aromatic white wines with more texture than expected. The method depends on limits. In making wine from the vineyard’s grapes, his approach avoids additions or subtractions such as acid, tannins, filtering agents or fining agents. In the vineyard, the work begins with biodynamic grape growing, wild ferments, no irrigation and old own-rooted vines; in the cellar, the same logic favors patience over adjustment.
Signature
Signature bottlings include Emma’s Block Mature Vine Pinot Noir, Tinker’s Field Mature Vine Pinot Noir, and Mature Vine Pinot Noir. The signature wines make the estate language specific: mature vines, cool-climate structure, aromatic lift and depth drawn from working within the site’s limits.
In Their Words “At Rippon, we hope that the emotions people feel when they see and feel our place can help them understand why our vines are so happy here.”
Recognition
"At Rippon, we hope that the emotions people feel when they see and feel our place can help them understand why our vines are so happy here."
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Nick
What is Nick Mills's current role?
Nick Mills is Winemaker and GM.
What is Nick Mills known for?
Biodynamic grape growing.
