Mission Estate, thought to be the oldest winery in New Zealand, has purchased Cape Campbell Wines’ Cable Station Vineyard in Marlborough’s Awatere Valley.
The vineyard has 73ha planted with mostly sauvignon blanc, pinot noir and pinot gris.
Cape Campbell Wines was put into liquidation almost two years ago. Cable Station was put up for tender in October 2010 by the receivers of the Cape Campbell Wines and has sat on the market till now.
Mission Estate chief executive Peter Holley said the company bought the vineyard to make sure it was getting fruit from the country’s best wine growing regions.
It would help the winery – which this year celebrated 160 years’ operation – move into new export markets, he said.
The former owners of Cape Campbell, Murray and Daphne Brown, who are long-time grape-growers, will continue to manage the vieyards.
Mission Estate was established in Hawke’s Bay in 1851 by French Catholic missionaries, who belonged to the Society of Mary, an order of Catholic priests and brothers.
Vines were planted to produce both sacramental and table wine. The first record of a commercial sale dates back to 1870 when a parcel of mostly dry reds were sold.
Today Mission Estate is is operated by Marist Holdings (Greenmeadows) Ltd, which is owned by the Society of Mary
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