Home and income in established vineyard
Aproductive vineyard supplying grapes to one of New Zealand’s biggest and most respected wine producers has been placed on the market for sale.
North Hope Vineyard on the northern outskirts of Blenheim consists of some 7.5ha of sauvignon grape plantings — with the resulting fruit all contracted to NZ Stock Exchangelisted Delegat Wine Estate.
The North Hope Vineyard and associated two-storey 372sq m designer-built five-bedroom executive home among the vines are being marketed for sale by tender through Bayleys Marlborough, with tenders closing on December 7.
Bayleys Marlborough salesman Andy Poswillo says over the past five vintages, North Hope Vineyard has a production average of cropping 107 tonnes of sauvignon blanc annually. Revenue from the 2017 grape-growing activities was $185,000.
“North Hope’s first sauvignon blanc vines were planted in 2000, with the vineyard expanded by almost 50 per cent in 2008,” says Poswillo. “The vineyard has accreditation from the viticulture quality control organisation Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand.” He says the Delegat company has extensive landholdings in Marlborough, while wines from grapes grown in the Wairau Valley and Cloudy Bay are branded under the “Marlborough” label.
In total, the freehold property consisted of 9.54ha of flat land situated at 66 Rowley Crescent in the Cloudy Bay district of the fertile Wairau Plains.
Poswillo says North Hope’s supply agreement with Delegat would transfer to the new purchaser of the vineyard for the continuation of grape supply in coming harvests. The vineyard’s plantings consist of 14,500 vines, while the property has a consented irrigation permit to extract 176 cubic metres of water daily.
“With sauvignon blanc being in particularly high demand by both the domestic and internationally-owned labels operating in and around Marlborough the industry is in good shape. The north-facing vineyard was strategically planted to extract the maximum tonnage from the most efficient usage of the landholding. This founding philosophy has proven over the years to have been the correct business decision — as the yields from North Hope Vineyard have constantly delivered solid returns for its owners.
“While the quality of home contained within this offering is very much at the top end of luxury residences in the region, the revenue derived from the vines is certainly not in the ‘lifestyle’ category but is a very much serious vineyard business . . . as evidenced by the supply contract to Delegat.”
The concrete tilt-slab home in the Rowley Crescent property was built in 2000, and comes with a solar-heated inground swimming pool, three-car garaging, four heat pumps, and three bathrooms. Vineyard-related buildings on the property consist of two small equipment and machinery storage sheds.
“The Marlborough region is one of new Zealand’s most intensively planted grape growing destinations — and for obvious reasons, is sought after for its sauvignon blanc landholdings and lifestyle residences.”
The home was built in 2000, and comes with a solar-heated inground swimming pool, threecar garaging, four heat pumps, and three bathrooms.