What was formerly known as Mahana Estates Winery was purchased by KiwiSaver fund provider, Booster, in January, who is aiming high going into the future. The new site, which will be known as Gravity, will soon be producing pinot noir from four of New Zealand’s best wine-growing regions. The four-level winery is one of the few gravity-fed wineries in New Zealand, meaning that no pumps are used throughout the winemaking process.
Mahana Estates Winery was placed in receivership last year after an extended legal dispute between the owner, Glenn Schaeffer, and two U.S investors. Allan Yeo, Booster’s managing director, said that the hope is that the site becomes a focal point for tourism in the area. By the end of the year, Yeo hopes to have the cellar door reopened in addition to a restaurant.
The Booster Wine Group, which was established in January following the purchase of Mahana Estates, said that they plan to fully utilise the facility, hoping to produce around 600-tonnes of wine and bottle on site. Yeo said, “That is what the site was really built for, to make top quality wine. I think it is fair to say that the quality of the wine it has produced previously has not come anywhere close to what the facility can do.”
The Booster Wine Group’s portfolio also includes Marlborough’s Awatere River, Nelson’s Waimea Estates, Hawke’s Bay’s Sileni Estates, and Central Otago’s Bannock Brae.
