MEDIA RELEASE: WEDNESDAY 25TH NOVEMBER 2009

Wine Baron Ant Moore Finalises Central Otago Vintners Purchase

Winemaker Ant Moore has finalised the purchase of the 1.9 ha pinot noir winery site, The Central Otago Vintners winery, in Cromwell, New Zealand. The acquisition of this state-of-the-art winery, which cost $9 million dollars to build, is the latest stage in The Ant Moore Group’s remarkable business development, perfectly timed with the arrival of the ‘antmoore’ brand into the Australian market.

Ant Moore today said, “Purchasing this winery is anything but a flash-in-the-pan for the Ant Moore Group. It is a strong step towards realising the full potential of my wine and my brand. To be a leader in the competitive wine production marketplace we needed a do-it-all winery which will allow me to follow each stage of the wine production process and one of New Zealand’s largest pinot noir processing facilities fitted the bill. I am confident this expansion of our interests into Central Otago will seamlessly complement our success in Marlborough to date and our ventures in the Australian market.”

A real success story, Australian-born Moore completed a Bachelor of Viticulture and Wine Science at Charles Sturt University. As a budding entrepreneur, Moore initially ran a consulting business and a fitness centre in Australia before making the transition into wine making. Following stints in Oregon, USA and Orange, NSW putting his wine theory into practice, Moore landed in New Zealand in 2002 after accepting an offer from Isabel Estate in Marlborough.

From these beginnings, and keen to make his own mark, Ant purchased farming land in the Waihopai Valley, Marlborough to convert into his vineyards and launched wine labels including Catalina Sounds and Crowded House. But this wasn’t enough. In 2009 Ant Moore has once again leapt onto the wine scene, this time with his signature wine ‘antmoore’ a culmination of years of hard work, determination and grit.

Recently released in New Zealand, the ‘antmoore’ 2009 whites and 2008 Pinot Noir vintage release have already made an impact with the Pinot Gris 2009 a gold medal winner and Top 100 selection at the Liquorland Wine Awards 2009, and Blue Gold at Sydney International.

“I am excited about my estate wine, a dream come true if you will; a brightly packaged new world bottle infused with old world winemaking that I know wine drinkers will enjoy.

“I am amped to grow our brand further in New Zealand and Australia over the coming months and by harnessing a market-led approach, instead of using the tried and tested production driven formula, we can’t go wrong”, says Moore.

Ant Moore wines – restrained, complex and perfectly balanced - are available in New Zealand through selected retailer liquor and on-premise outlets and direct from the winery (www.antmoore.com). The wines are available in Australia through Rogue Wines (www.roguewines.com.au).

Ant Moore Marlborough Pinot Gris 2009 RRP $21.99*
Ant Moore Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2009 RRP $21.99*
Ant Moore Central Otago Pinot Noir 2008 RRP $29.99*

*Prices in both New Zealand and Australian dollars

ENDS

Gordon Campbell: On John Key’s Agenda For The Nation

There seemed to be three main components to John Key’s speech :

a) tax cuts largely paid for by a hike in GST
b) mining in national parks and on conservation land, while building more roads.
c) giving firms easier access to the r&d from Crown Research Institutes, so that business can continue to get the taxpayer to pick up the tab for the research that keeps them competitive.

After all, corporate welfare is always such a blessed thing – its only social welfare that corrodes enterprise and ambition. More>>