Vineyard, winery and café in for sale

 Media Release

Vineyard, winery and café in tourist region for sale, with two dwellings and forestry block bonus

17 July 2008 – An established vineyard, a new state-of-the-art boutique winery and a new café, both rebuilt since destroyed by fire in 2006, are the key features of a unique opportunity in the Nelson region being auctioned as a going concern next month.

Moutere Hills Vineyard, Winery and Café is located in Upper Moutere, a prime wine and tourism area about half-way between Nelson and the Abel Tasman National Park.

Being marketed by Colin Eggers and Michael Mokhtar from Harcourts Richmond office, the property consists of 25.56ha of land split into two titles - firstly a 12.6ha block on which the vineyard, winery, café and cellar door/tasting room, an historic hop kiln, two houses and various sheds are located and secondly a 12.96ha block planted in pinus radiata and pasture with the bonus of an excellent, elevated building site.

“The current owners have been steadily investing in the business aspects of the property and in their home.  Basically all of the hard work has been done, so the new owners have a wonderful opportunity which they can pick up and run with, including two wine labels for sale as part of this unique package,” says Mr Eggers.

“Given everything on offer I am confident it will attract a lot of enquiry from within New Zealand and overseas from investors and also people interested in combining their business and lifestyle dreams in one of the best locations in the country.”

As Mr Eggers explains, fire destroyed the old winery and café along with all the wine stock in 2006.  In its place the current owners have built a stand-alone, state-of-the-art 270m2 winery which produces a premium range of wines under the Moutere Hills label and a “café range” under the Hopsbarn label

Alongside the winery is a popular new garden café with a full commercial kitchen, a large covered deck and landscaped outdoor areas for dining, and a spacious adjoining cellar door/tasting room which is also well patronised.  The café is the only one in the area to serve full-meals which is one of the reasons it is so popular with locals and tourists alike, Mr Eggers says, who also explains that the character-filled historic hop kiln on the property has been partially restored with the view to being used as a cellar and entertainment area.                                                  

The sheltered vineyard, which is in two separate sun-drenched blocks on ideal clay gravel soil, was first planted in 1993 with chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, pinot noir, pinot gris, merlot and cabernet sauvignon grapes.

The main dwelling on the property is an historic, five double bedroom, two-level homestead which has been extensively and elegantly renovated in recent years.  Built in 1912 the 274m2 north-facing home is set in lush grounds, with a six seater spa pool on the deck / verandah that surrounds three sides of the home. The minor dwelling is a cute two-bedroom Fraemohs timber house, currently home to the vineyard’s resident winemaker and his family.  The open-plan  home with 112m2 of decking enjoys all-day sun and is set within an established garden. 

Conveniently located between the two is a timber double garage with a covered carport attached.  Also on the property is a high-stud, three-bay utility shed, a wood shed, a lockable chemical shed and a large storage barn.  

On the adjoining 12.96ha block, accessible via a private road shared with three other properties, is an eight hectare plantation of 15-year-old pinus radiata, along with a number of grass paddocks, one of which includes a superb building site with spectacular views.

Also up for sale is an extensive list of chattels associated with the winery, vineyard and café.

Located on Eggers Rd in Sunrise Valley, Upper Moutere the property is for sale by auction as a going concern – preferably as one lot – due to the current owners need to focus on business interests in Wellington, Mr Eggers says. The auction will be at 5.30pm on Wednesday 30 July at Harcourts Auction House, Buxton Square, Nelson.  For more information visit www.harcourts.co.nz (ID# RC80602) and www.mouterehills.co.nz.

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