About us

Tillman was born from a moment of discovery. During a trip to Portugal, founder Sam Tillman tasted Portuguese wine for the first time and was immediately captivated. After many conversations with his father, Simon, they realised that despite Portugal's rich winemaking heritage, its wines were underrepresented in New Zealand. Convinced that these world-class wines, celebrated for their quality, character and lack of pretension, deserved a larger place on New Zealand tables, they decided to take action.

Their next step was travelling to Lisbon to attend one of Portugal's largest wine trade fairs, where they were met with enthusiasm from producers eager to share their craft with New Zealand. Within months, the first shipments were on their way.

Built on the Tillman family's passion for Portuguese wine, Tillman is dedicated to connecting people with the beauty and authenticity of Portugal's vineyards. Our mission is simple: to share the passion, tradition and artistry of Portuguese winemaking with New Zealand, and to give these remarkable wines the recognition they so richly deserve.

We want to open the door to a wine culture that is world-class, yet welcoming, sophisticated, yet unpretentious. Above all, we want to share the wines that made us fall in love with Portugal, and hopefully help you discover a few favourites of your own.