Nautilus Estate Winery, on the corner of State Highway 6 and Rapaura Rd, opened its new white wine winery, just beside its Cellar Door and Pinot Noir Winery, in time for the 2006 vintage. To mark the occasion, the winery asked sculptor Dale Hudson to craft a large nautilus shell for its entrance and the result has just been erected.

Mr Hudson, a Scot who lives in Wanganui, said it took him several months to complete the work. The finely detailed shell features more than a kilometre of stainless steel and copper wire and thousands of spot welds. Nautilus Estate sales and marketing manager Katy Ironside said many people had been stopping to take photos of the shell. "I'm sure it will turn up in photo albums around the world as a memory of their holiday in Marlborough," she said.

The Nautilus shell was interesting as it had what mathematicians called "divine proportions" and was an example of perfection in nature, he said. The art work is set in landscaped native gardens being developed around the winery site. SOURCE: By SONIA O'REGAN