Glen first fell in love with wine growing up in Eastbourne, where his father, John – who also loved wine – built a walk-in cellar which he filled with bottles from all over the world. Glen’s father would teach his four boys how to select wine that would pair nicely with their evening meal, and would test them from time to time: asking them to taste a wine and see if they could pick the variety, and even where in the world it was produced. Glen had many fond childhood memories of travelling, and – inevitably! – ending up at beautiful vineyards tasting new wines.

“For me, wine is the vehicle of celebration and the marking of special occasions. I’ve always wanted to produce wines that bring special moments into people’s homes.”

Making memories with family plays a significant role in the Molloys’ experience running Alana Estate, and one of the highlights for Glen as company director is the opportunity to work with two of his children. After school, they bus down to our warehouse where they hand label the wine, and box it ready for the
courier to deliver to our wonderful customers.

Glen chooses to hand label our wine for two reasons, he says.

“Hand labelling reduces cost, which enables us to sell high quality boutique wine at affordable prices. It also allows us to print and design any label our customers want. We
offer personalised wine labels for special occasions like birthdays and
weddings, as well as corporate customers including builders, real estate agents, lawyers… basically anybody who wants to gift friends, family or customers a personalised bottle of wine.”

When Glen and Karen aren’t busy getting orders out and running the kids between school and sports, they can usually be found walking their two dogs on Petone Beach…
or enjoying a glass or two of Alana wine at home. Just don’t ask Glen to pick a favourite.

“That’s a hard call. It has to be between the 2021 Pinot Noir Rosé, which recently won a gold medal and is my favourite summer wine, or the Magnum of 2014 Pinot Noir
Limited Release, which was given 96 points by Sam Kim of Wine Orbit. This wine is such a joy to drink and, being a magnum, is a great show piece for a family gathering. The Pinot is beautifully matured with complex velvety finish.”

As well as a passion for great wine, Glen and Karen believe in giving back to communities both here and overseas, leading them to launch Alana’s Freedom  range in 2024. Every bottle sold supports the empowerment of women in India to help bring an end to modern
slavery.

Browse our full range of high-quality New Zealand wines now, learn more about our custom wine
label options, or contact Alana Estate to make an enquiry.