Large scale winery on the market for sale

Large scale winery on the market for sale as international owner consolidates its winery operations

One of New Zealand’s major wineries has been placed on the market for sale as its international owner consolidates production capacity.

Following the divestment of Lindauer, Corbans and 10 other brands in November 2010, the Pernod Ricard New Zealand Hawke’s Bay Winery - formerly the Corbans Winery - was significantly under-utilised.

The Pernod Ricard New Zealand Hawke’s Bay winery in Napier’s industrial Pandora precinct has capacity to crush and ferment 10,000 tonnes of grapes per harvest, along with storage capacity for 8.3 million litres of wine.

The plant sits on 3.52 hectares of flat land zoned for heavy industrial use. The Pernod Ricard New Zealand Hawke’s Bay winery has been placed on the market for sale with Bayleys Hawke’s Bay through an international tender campaign closing on September 14, 2012.

Bayleys Hawke’s Bay commercial and industrial salesperson Rollo Vavasour said the scale of the plant meant the operation would most likely be bought by a multi-national company seeking a ‘turn-key’ New Zealand presence.

“The scale and quality of this winery for sale would be attractive to large local producers or multi-nationals,” Mr Vavasour said.

In addition to the winery sale, Pernod Ricard New Zealand may consider selling one or two of its Hawke’s Bay vineyards to potential buyers of the winery complex, Mr Vavasour added.

Among the buildings at the Pernod Ricard New Zealand Hawke’s Bay winery are:

• A modern 120 square metre concrete-lined grape reception pit with two 50-tonne crushers and grape stalk removal machinery
• Some 1836 square metres of cellar plant and storage space – including a refrigeration room and expansive warehouse-style storage in both fermentation vats and barrels
• A 1187 square metre barrel hall with two temperature controlled spaces, along with an adjoining barrel washroom
• Administrative offices, laboratory and testing facilities spread over two levels.
• A boiler house with a gas-fired heat unit
and
• A waste water treatment plant including a concrete sump, a solids screening unit, and a 180,000 litre effluent tank – all overseen by a monitoring room.

“The building and plant infrastructure within the location is vast – totaling several thousand square metres, and all located within electrified and monitored security perimeter fencing, typical of such a large plant handling such a valuable commodity as wine,” Mr Vavasour said.

“The winery was originally established in 1986, and in the late 1990s/early 2000s was expanded considerably to upgrade the grape receival area, waste treatment plant, boiler house and barrel rooms.

“In 2005 further development saw the expansion of the staff amenities, and in 2007 the engineering workshops, administration block and laboratory buildings were built to support the considerable growth which the operation had experienced.”

Additional amenities in the offering include 1600 square metres of car parking, an extensive external lighting system allowing for extended production hours during the harvest season and for increased security, and a 60-tonne weighbridge facility for recording incoming grape tonnage.

The land and plant has a capital valuation of $8.05 million.

“When taking a longer-term view of the New Zealand viticulture market – which is now showing increasing signs of positive recovery – this opportunity is an outstanding one for the right purchaser,” Mr Vavasour said.

ENDS

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