Business South November 2021

14 | REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT NZ Wineries Tailored winemaking meets demand T T Kim Newth NZW offers custom processing options from small batch hand pick to large-scale continuous flow processing and accommodates a diverse range of wine styles and wine-making philosophies. S ince starting out as a winery and vine- yard estate operation almost 20 years ago, NZ Wineries (NZW) has evolved into a 100 per cent independent wine processing company that offers tailored winemaking services in Marlborough and Waipara. The sale of the Mudhouse wine group brands and vineyards to Australian multi - national Accolade Wines in 2013 marked NZW’s transition out of vineyard and brand ownership into fully independent boutique and commercial contract winemaking and the establishment of their vision – ‘Your Wine, Your Way’. With over 20,000ha of vines, Marlborough is the country’s largest wine region and has had a central role in the doubling in value of New Zealand wine exports over the past decade to just over $2 billion, (for the year ending December 2020). Investment in equipment to build premium processing capacity continues to set NZW apart as it consolidates its position as Marl - borough’s contract processor of choice. “We have been growing our footprint to support growth in the Marlborough wine industry,” says NZ Wineries CEO Louise Miller. “With increased plantings going on here, we continue to grow in line with the industry.” NZ Wineries offers custom processing options from small batch hand pick to large scale continuous flow processing and accom - modates a diverse range of wine styles and wine-making philosophies. The needs of every client are catered for, with a broad choice of temperature-controlled tank sizes (from 2500 litres to 270,000 litres), barrel storage areas and other state-of-the-art facilities to fit every specification. The main Marlborough winery site has four hoppers for receiving grapes, feeding 18 10-tonne presses and three 35-tonne presses. Multiple parcels of fruit can be received at a rate that is capable of coping with the most challenging of vintage conditions. Complementing NZW’s existing winery is their new development. Known as Kendrick Rd, it will provide pre - mium quality high-throughput processing of larger volumes from vintage 2022. Along with exceptional options for white wine grape processing, NZW offers a variety of open top and multi-fermenter tanks to accom - modate all red wine-making needs. Fermenters range from 3.5-tonnes to 30-tonnes, with hand plunging, automated plunging or pulse air options for cap manage - ment. Barrel storage is available in a tempera - ture-controlled environment. A modern laboratory ensures consistent and reliable analysis at every wine-making stage, giving clients confidence in their wine - making decisions, from grape to bottle. As well as full processing, NZW offers ad - ditional services such as wine finishing using state of the art crossflow technology. Client satisfaction is the number one pri - ority for NZW’s hardworking and enthusiastic team who have a shared love of wine-making. “We have 25 permanent staff and over the vintage that grows by 60 to 80 people depend - ing on how many we need for that particular vintage.” Investment focus Starting in 2015, NZW’s main winery under- went a major upgrade geared towards pro - cessing larger blocks of Sauvignon Blanc and included installation of a new 30-tonne bin for receiving grapes and three new 35-tonne “We have been growing our footprint to support growth in the Marlborough wine industry. With increased plantings going on here, we continue to grow in line with the industry.” central membrane presses. It has led to higher press yields and, with truck and trailers able to be received into a single bin and press, increased throughput. This was followed by a substantial upgrade of refrigeration plant and glycol distribution systems. Louise says reliable refrigeration is critical to a smooth winery operation, particularly over the harvest period, when refrigeration has such a key role in cold settling and controlling fermentation. Installation of a new state-of-the-art ammo - nia refrigeration plant was completed in 2018. “The launch of Kendrick Rd for vintage 2022 further complements NZW’s existing capac - ity and provides plenty of room for future growth.”