Chris Gambitsis
Sales Manager, Assistant Winemaker, Director
Living in Tauranga allows Chris close contact with New Zealand's major markets and wine outlets. He retains a strong influence on the Lake Chalice wines he promotes by working alongside winemaker/director Matt Thomson for each Marlborough vintage.

A long career of restaurant management has given Chris an educated palate and he is a great lover of wine. Lake Chalice Wines was started by his purchase of the Falcon Vineyard in 1989 and from 1990 to 1994 he learned about winemaking while working at Saltrans, Australia; Villa Maria, Hawkes Bay; and Rapaura Vintners and Highfield Estate in Marlborough. Chris is a keen outdoorsman with multiple interests.

Phil Binnie
Managing Director, Grape Grower
Phil has general responsibility for managing Lake Chalice. The ex-policeman gained a Certificate of Viticulture after moving from Wellington to Blenheim to study at the Nelson/Marlborough Polytechnic in 1992. A keen cyclist and triathlete in his spare time.

Matt Thomson
Winemaker, Director
Appointed consultant at Lake Chalice in 1997, Matt was so impressed with the quality and further potential of its wines he became a company shareholder-director the following year. Matt also runs an extremely successful winemaking consultancy company, Kiwi Oeno. Wine is clearly not his only passion and he upholds a very active lifestyle. He was a former national rep in cycling and still competes regularly at international level in endurance kayaking. He loves to hunt and forage for ingredients to make such things as Rabbit, Mushroom and Pinot Noir Pie!

Ged Boekholt
Vineyard Manager
Ged has been with Lake Chalice since 2003 starting as a vineyard worker but has rapidly moved into the vineyard manager role previously occupied by Phil. His enthusiasim and attention to detail have seen a marked improvement in the fruit quality and he continues to strive for better grapes each vintage, on the company vineyards and working with the contract growers. Ged is currently studying for his Diploma in Vineyard management.