Marsden Estate in Wiroa Road, Kerikeri. Photo / Supplied
Marsden Estate in Wiroa Road, Kerikeri. Photo / Supplied
One of the country's northern-most vineyard/wineries is for sale.
Marsden Estate, located near Kerikeri, is one of the region's biggest licensed function venues - with more than 85 per cent of its production sold either on-premise or through its cellar door retail outlet.
The winery was established in the early1990s by husband and wife entrepreneurs Rod and Cindy MacIvor. The pair opened the venue's restaurant in 1996 before quickly branching the beverage operations out into catering for on-site functions and events.
Marsden Estate's tasting facility and restaurant/function room with al-fresco courtyard has seating for up to 150 guests.
Specialising in their chosen fields, Rod MacIvor now runs the vineyard and winery operations, while Cindy oversees the foodservice and hospitality arm of the Marsden Estate business.
The 5ha vineyard on flat to gently-rolling topography in Wiroa Rd bottles chardonnay, pinot gris, syrah, chambourcin, tempranillo, pinotage, and merlot varieties.
In total, the property sits on 6.7ha of freehold land. Mature shelterbelts encasing the vineyard's boundaries are a mix of pinus radiata and bamboo.
In addition to crushing its own grapes, Marsden Estate also provides contract winemaking services for 20 other vineyards in the region.
The winery is fully equipped with presses, a crusher, open top fermenters, closed tanks, a laboratory, and barrel room.
The winery is fully equipped with presses, a crusher, open top fermenters, closed tanks, a laboratory, and barrel room - all of which are included in the sale. Bottling is undertaken in Auckland under contract.
The Marsden Estate land, buildings, business and brand are being jointly marketed for sale for $4.25 million plus gst through Bayleys Whangarei and Bayleys Auckland.
Northland business sales consultant Vinni Bhula said that as a now-mature vineyard, the location produced an average of about 5000 cases of wine annually.
Mr Bhula said the business employed 10 fulltime staff across its multiple revenue streams. Part-time employees were contracted in during the harvest season, and to cook and serve during functions.
"Marsden Estate is one of Northland's premier function venues - being centrally located in the middle of the province, and well supported in commercial accommodation options by Kerikeri township just a short distance away," Mr Bhula said.
