Ash Ireland.
Describe yourself in one sentence: I love life - fun times with family and mates, any excuse for a gathering especially big cook ups with great wine whilst always trying to mix it up with some adrenaline fuelled activity so I feel like I deserve it.

Training , background and experience: Originally from Palmerston North, I completed a Degree in Business Studies from Messy Massey University. Since completing an Introductory Wine Course at night school many years ago, I have made it my aim to attend and nurture a Wine Group wherever I go. Owning and operating a top end award winning homeware store, I managed to keep my wine interest alive by selling top quality wine and food accessories. Moving to Auckland I was the financial controller and 2IC for New Zealand brands Workshop and Helen Cherry - satisfying another obsession I have with high fashion (and great jeans). Now in the Hawkes Bay, I'm pursuing my love of amazing wine as the Wild Rock Guy.
What do you love about Wild Rock Wines: I love the Wild Rock attitude and fun factor combined with fantastic value. Wild Rock are outstanding wines which are made by some of New Zealand's best in their own regions. After cracking my first bottles I thought, awesome, I could have driven to Central Otago or Martinborough to get this. Mixing that up with music, food and fashion whilst nuturing an attitude of sustainability and preserving this lovely land we live in is, to me, a winning recipe.
Favourite pass time/pursuit /sport: Mountain Biking, mountain biking, mountain biking - ever since leaving the big smoke, I have made it my mission to get in shape and do something that gets the adrenaline pumping. Living so close to the Peak (Te Mata Peak) means that you'll often see me coming down at 6.30am for a daily fix. I recently entered in a couple of events and blew myself away with a top ten finish which has now lifted the bar for the next one.

Wildest thing you ever did? Single skied Tekapo Canals behind a Subaru 4WD with my wife to be on the roof filming (don't tell the kids) - the sounds were pumping and the sun shining - wicked.
3 albums you will be listening to while you are out selling wild rock Wine: I have made up a Wild Rock playlist on my i-Pod and have a compilation of great Kiwi bands like - the Veils, The Tutts, Body Corporate, SJD, Tim Finn, Evermore, Midnight Youth, Liam Finn and Boh Runga.

TJ Peabody.
Describe yourself in one sentence: Subtly Wild
Training , background and experience: Sales & Accounting
What do you love about selling wine: Drinking It ... love that infamous goose & elevation (I do anything for a glass of Savvy!)
Favourite pass time/pursuit /sport: Tennis/Snow Skiing
Wildest thing you ever did: Bunji Jump/Absailed
3 albums you will be listening to while you are out selling wild rock Wine: Best of Van Morrison; Jack Johnson; Tom Petty

Adrian Baker.
Describe yourself in one sentence: That feeling you have when you're leaning on your chair, and it nearly falls, but you catch yourself.... I feel pretty much like that all the time!
Training, background and experience: I trained in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry in Wellington, NZ. Off to save the world, full of ideals, I retrained in Winemaking in Adelaide, Autralia, off to make the world a slightly better place... at least it's a start! In between I sequenced DNA, explored endocrinology, sold wine, painted springs, cycled, made models for restaurants and washed dishes. I emerged as a winemaker and have worked in California, Oregon and all around New Zealand, making all sorts of wines in all sorts of environments, WEARING BOOTS.
What do you love about making wine? I like the tangibility of it all, producing something that is real, you can see what you've done at the end of each working day; I like the essence of wine typicity, regionality, all that 'representing a place stuff' that makes wine, food, art, music (in one word - culture) so special. I like the product. I LIKE WEARING BOOTS!
Favourite past time/pursuit/sport: When away from winemaking I play with, cook with, listen to, paint for, fly kites with and entertain my lovely family. Sometimes I just sit and stare at them; at other times I may hit golf balls or dive for Paua (NZ abalone) or just dive for the peace of it all.
Wildest thing you ever did? In lining up the catalogue of wildness, I may be more 'mild rock' than 'wild rock'; a wild side experience was hitching a lift up the Turkish coast on a small 'fishing' boat to avoid cycling another 200km of mountainous stuff. Well they said they were fishermen, but there we hook hands and 'AAAGHS!', parrots and cutlasses(maybe). Getting off, alive, on land, was unlikely but achieved. It felt wild!
3 albums you will be listening to over Vintage 2009? 3 Albums that will fill Harvest 2009 may be 'The Woolshed Sessions' from Age Prior and Co, recorded in a woolshed in Golden Bay; something old, classic and atmospheric - The Koln Concert by Keith Jarrett and something by The Roots - "Rising down", confused? I am!

Pieter Koopman.
Describe yourself in one sentence: Californian Dutchie, grew up on the beaches of Southern California , moved to Hawke's Bay in '05; Relaxed & fun loving, family guy; Love to travel, the ocean, slow food, & all things soccer.
Training, background and experience: B.A. - UC Berkeley; M.A.- U. of Amsterdam; Int'l Development. Coursework in viticulture & enology - UC Davis. Vintage at Davis Bynum in Sonoma; Planted small vineyard in Hawke's Bay. With CR/WR for the past 2+ years.
What do you love about making wine? The process of creating something, from the ground to the glass that can be enjoyed in so many moments and places.
Favourite past time/pursuit/sport: Any time I can get at the beach with my family.
Wildest thing you ever did? Drove a Norton from Prague to London, with a brief segue in Croatia (during the war). Either that, or.... owning a vineyard.
3 albums you will be listening to over Vintage 2009? Hendrix - Any; Miles Davis - Sketches of Spain; Michael Andrews - Hand on String.

Rod Easthope.
With beige clothing, short hair, a fear of heights, fear of crowds, all-boy schooling, permanent frown and fascination with lawn mowing - something had to give.
Training, background and experience: Thieving wine from my parents' cellar, albeit limited yet highly fortified, to impress Jacqui (first girl I ever kissed) down at the Tutaekuri (Maori word meaning dog faeces) River, was my first weak-at-the-knees moment with wine (and girls). It was a long wait for the next wine epiphany, as studying winemaking at South Australia's Roseworthy College seemed to involve more hops and barley than it did grapes. After 3 years of expertly managing the tenuous balance between social life, study and rugby I was a qualified winemaker. Robert Parker was immediately put on notice to await samples and Michel Rolland prepared to lose clients!
Luckily there seemed to be a shortage of winemakers prepared to work for nothing and tenures were gained in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, France and Italy.
Along the way, being held at gunpoint in Stellenbosch, crewing a Sultan's yacht in Monaco, trying 70-year-old Grand Cru Burgundy and playing rugby against 7 foot Afrikaners meant that lawn-mowing held less allure.
New Zealand always beckoned - although there are fewer gunmen, sultans and less old Burgundy - nowhere else is as pristine, wild and capable of producing wines that reek of where they are from, and I wanted a piece of that.
3 albums you will be listening to over Vintage 2009? This summer Oscar Peterson's Hello Herbie", "Plays So Good" by George Barnes and good ole Credence Clearwater Revival will get me through the vintage.

Sam Bennett.
Describe yourself in one sentence: Laid back hedonist.
Training, background and experience: Bsc (Bio) then Dip Viticulture and Wine Production at NMIT. Did my time in Marlborough- (4 years as an assistant WM). Have completed 12 vintages, amongst them have had the privilege of working overseas in some of the world's great Pinot Noir growing regions such as Burgundy, Oregon and Tasmania.
What do you love about making wine: The product.
Favourite past time/pursuit /sport : The product.
Wildest thing you ever did: Don't know about the wildest, but one of the stupidest was wearing jandals in the mosh pit at my first Big Day Out in 1997. Offspring, Shihad, Prodigy, Soundgarden etc. Total carnage, lost toe nails, and my feet were pounded hunks of meat by the end.
3 albums you will be listening to over Vintage 2009: Impossible to narrow it down to 3 so I'll give you a short list. My other answers were brief so I'd have more room here... Shapeshifter, Neil Young on the Beach, anything from Studio One, Nick Cave, Tiki Taane, old school reggae, Raconteurs and some James Brown always goes down well at harvest.

Anna Gibb.
Describe yourself in one sentence: I am a fun-loving, sporty girl who loves the outdoors and drinking wine or, preferably being outdoors drinking wine.
Training, background and experience: A Postgraduate Diploma in Viticulture & Oenology (at Lincoln University - where you learn to drink with the best of them!), followed by a sales stint in Christchurch before heading to London to develop the overseas palate. After 4 years there it was home to get married and to carve out a real career with the Craggy Range/Wild Rock team under the fancy title of 'National Sales Manager'. I love selling wine, who wouldn't?
What do you love about selling wine? Everyone loves to talk about wine and a free tasting in the middle of a working day (classified as work) is always an added bonus.
Favourite past-time/pursuit/sport: Sport! ..... running, netball, the outdoors, socializing, my husband and living life to the max.
Wildest thing you ever did: Ah ..... this is a family show, right!!!
3 albums you will be listening to while out selling Wild Rock Wine: While out selling Wild Rock Wine I listen to Kings of Leon (all of their albums, love these guys at the moment), Katchafire and the Killers. All this on my funky new ipod nano (4th Generation) in hot red!

Andy Crozier-Silk.
Describe yourself in one sentence: I am a passionate foodie and wine enthusiast, slightly mad and love my family, friends and I'm always up for a good time and willing to give anything a go at least once.
Training, background and experience: An Environmental Science degree, post-grad Diploma in Viticulture and Wine Science. I started off in the wine trade in the UK as a graduate with Majestic Wine and then headed back to NZ and have since done a mix of wine retail, event management and sales rep. I wanted to be a winemaker, but I hate getting my hands dirty!
What do you love about selling wine?: I love the constant change in this trade and you get to meet some of the most eccentric and interesting people along the way.
Favourite past-time/pursuit/sport: Scuba Diving without a doubt, hanging out with friends drinking 'vino' and doing my best impersonation of Gordon Ramsay in the kitchen.
Wildest thing you ever did: Hand-feeding sharks and getting paid for it!!
3 albums you will be listening to while out selling Wild Rock Wine: The Black Seeds (Solid Ground), Little Bushman (Pendulum) and good old Pearl Jam.

Lisa Raymond.
Describe yourself in one sentence: I believe in wine there is happiness and friendship.
Training, background and experience: It has been colourful and exciting. I finished high school and took a year off to discover what I wanted to study at. While waitressing at a 5 star restaurant and I was fortunate enough to work with a talented sommelier who taught me his love of wine. From there I continued working in the hospitality industry for another 4 years until landing this job with Craggy Range.
What do you love about selling wine? Getting to meet fantastic, 'funny' people, who love and enjoy wine as much as I do.
Favourite past-time/pursuit/sport: Sports and hobbies... well, I am learning to surf (and loving it!), working out at the gym and boxing!
Wildest thing you ever did: Bungy off the Harbour Bridge.
3 albums you will be listening to while out selling Wild Rock Wine:Shapeshifter Soulstice, The Black Seeds - Into the Dojo and The Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I am.

Anthony McConnel.
Describe yourself in one sentence: I would like to think of myself as 'the quiet achiever' with a VERY competitive edge.
Training, background and experience: My initial introduction to wine was via raiding the old man's cellar. Wine collecting started off as a hobby and quickly became all-consuming, and has led to 18 years within the industry. After knocking over a couple of degrees in science and marketing, as well as the odd course in wine, I decided to spend time developing my knowledge further in the hospitality industry.This soon led to working for wineries in brand management, marketing and export sales. After spending a period of time spanning the globe, it was time to focus back on the Australian market where I was fortunate enough to land a role with a Brisbane based family, who owned a NZ winery, looking after Australian sales. Not a bad gig!
What do you love about selling wine? Probably the best thing is - sharing the story of the wines and seeing people's reactions to them.
Favourite past-time/pursuit/sport: When I was a little younger and fitter, clashing bodies on the rugby paddock was always good fun. Now I settle for biking and tennis and I would love to get in more skiing.
Wildest thing you ever did: The greatest adrenaline rush was white water rafting in Zimbabwe, which is known for some of the highest grade rapids in the world.
3 albums you will be listening to while out selling Wild Rock Wine: I rattle and hum to U2. the original soundtrack of Reservoir Dogs and for a bit of chill-out music at the end of the day St Germain - Tourist.

Tim Walpole.
Describe yourself in one sentence: I am passionate, forward-thinking and opinionated.
Training, background and experience: My background includes five years in the kitchen and then ten years running the front of house, followed by another five years with Negociants.
What do you love about selling wine?: I am constantly talking about something I love!
Favourite past-time/pursuit/sport: Surfing, chasing waves wherever and then ... more surfing.
Wildest thing you ever did: Paddle out at G Land East Java at 15 feet. Oh - something better, I found myself in a Dan Murphy's store last week!
3 albums you will be listening to while out selling Wild Rock Wine: Fat Freddy's Drop, Michael Frante and Cat Empire.

Andy Carlton.
Describe yourself in one sentence: Passionate about wine, the world, my family & life.
Training, background and experience: 20 years in fine wine wholesaling predominately on premise. Tertiary education in Hospitality Management. Previous experience in retails sales & management.
What do you love about selling wine? Working with a variety of wines from vintage, location & styles. Also getting the order.
Favourite past-time/pursuit/sport: Swimming ( 5-6klm per week), walking, bike riding when I can find the time. Listening to 'roots' music. Dinning ,enjoying good wine & company.
Wildest thing you ever did: Outdoors: The Machu Pichu walk. Indoors: Not telling.
3 albums you will be listening to while out selling Wild Rock Wine: Usually my own compilations on the pod. Some natty reggae, African blues, r'n'b, maybe some obscure beats.

Kirsten Clarke.
Describe yourself in one sentence: Impossibly possible.
Training, background and experience: Food tech rat, lab rat to vino extraordinaire.
What do you love about selling wine? Spreading the love - everyone loves wine so they love you too!
Favourite past-time/pursuit/sport: Eat, drink and indulge in all good things in life then hopefully sweat it all out at the gym.
Wildest thing you ever did: Hmmmmm - better left unsaid.
3 albums you will be listening to while out selling Wild Rock Wine: Billy Idol by Billy Idol, Rumours by Fleetwood Mac and Wiggly Safari by The Wiggles.