October 27, 2004
Matua Valley Wines Expand West Auckland Operation
Matua Valley Wines today (October 28, 2004) announced the official opening of a $2 million warehouse at its Waimauku
home in West Auckland – the latest step in a growth programme that will see the family operated winery continue to
compete with major domestic and international players.
The opening of the new facility coincides with the winery’s celebrations of Sauvignon Blanc’s 30th anniversary in New
Zealand. Brothers Bill and Ross Spence introduced Sauvignon Blanc to New Zealand, planting the first commercial grapes
and producing the first vintage in 1974.
“The opening of this new, custom-built warehouse marks a coming of age of sorts for Matua Valley Wines. The grape we
introduced thirty years ago has become incredibly popular – with demand for New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, both here and
abroad, continuing to grow. We’re proud to combine leading edge technologies and resources with our heritage of
producing top-quality wines,” said Matua founders and Ross and Bill Spence.
The growth programme – which the new Warehouse marks the latest milestone of – began about four years ago and has
involved investments in the Wairarapa, Hawkes Bay and Marlborough. Recently initiatives such as the purchase of Ponder
Estate (now Matua Marlborough) and a lease agreement on 170 hectares at Northbank in Marlborough have allowed Matua to
continue to deliver great quality wine to the domestic market while producing enough top quality product to begin
growing new overseas markets.
The Spence brothers say as well as continuing to focus on traditional international markets such as the US, Australia
and the UK, Matua Valley Wines is committed to developing new markets in Asia, Canada and Central Europe.
“The expansion of, and recent capital investment in, Matua Valley Wines will help us continue to bring New Zealand wine
to the fore overseas without sacrificing any of our quality or turning our backs on the heritage that has made Matua so
popular with New Zealanders for the past thirty years.”
ENDS