One of Marlborough’s best known wine pioneers Jane hunter is among a dozen New Zealand winemakers who feature in a national portrait exhibition which opened in Wellington today.

The 12 Faces of NZ Wine exhibition opens at the NZ Portrait Gallery in Wellington Waterfront’s Shed 11 today and closes on November 12.

The exhibition includes some of New Zealand’s earliest wine statesmen and contemporary winemakers in a collection of 70 photographs and newly commissioned portraits.

The Exhibition is called: Looking Down the Barrel: The Face of New Zealand Wine -  and portraits are of Bishop Pompallier, The Marist Brothers, Jane Hunter, Romeo Bragato, Daniel Schuster, Larry McKenna, John Buck, Alan Brady, Clive Paton and Denis Irwin.
 
There are portrait photographs of others taken by Kevin Judd, Dick Scott and early photographs by Marti Friedlander. The exhibition shows the human face of New Zealand wine making.  Other works include a caricature of Denis Irwin by Murray and Alan Brady in oils by Deidre Copeland.
 
Hunter said from Blenheim today her portrait sitting in the Hunter’s winery took three days. The artist for her portrait was Irene Ferguson, a Wellington based artist and winner of the 2008 Adam Portraiture Award.

``Irene wandered around the vineyard, garden and winery to get the feel of the place and then we did 20 minute sessions – up to 5 or 6 a day. It is very hard to sit totally still in the same position for each session!
 
``An exhibition of this scale signifies the coming of age for the modern New Zealand wine industry and acknowledges the importance of the NZ wine industry to the economy, history and general story of New Zealand.
 
Hunter has another portrait hanging at their Marlborough winery which was painted by Hunter’s artist-in-residence Clarry Neame.

Hunter’s produces about 80,000 cases of wine, nearly half of which is exported. They have won more than 100 gold medals at national and international wine competitions.