Montana was founded by Ivan and Amanda Yukich (Jukić), Croatian immigrants who planted their first vines in 1934, in Titirangi, situated in the Waitākere Ranges west of Auckland. The first wine was sold in 1944, and by 1960 of vineyards were planted. Ivan's sons, Mate and Frank, had become involved, and they set up the company Montana Wines in 1961. By the end of the 1960s, the company had expanded further, planting vines on land south of Auckland. In 1973, the company expanded into Gisborne and Marlborough and exported its first wines in 1980.