Marisco acquires new Marlborough property

Marisco Vineyards’ chief winemaker and proprietor Brent Marris has acquired a new 2,000 hectare property in the Waihopai Valley, Marlborough.

Marisco has acquired the Leefield Station property which dates back to the 1840s. This purchase now provides Marisco Vineyards with 2,265ha of potential viticultural land in the Waihopai Valley.

100ha of vines will be planted over the next growing season, allowing Marisco Vineyards to secure a part of its future supply requirements.

Commenting on his acquisition, Marris said: “This property is a prime viticultural site because of its position within a glacial valley filled with mineral rich soil and beautiful rolling foothills.

“We intend to plant our vineyards next season, but will also retain the traditions of high value sheep and beef production on the property. We are a Marlborough family and business through-and-through, we understand and are deeply committed to celebrating the historical, social and cultural significance of Leefield Station”.

Marris adds “When we started looking for a new property we knew we wanted to keep our wine business within Marlborough. Our existing Waihopai Valley vineyard has won 33 gold medals and seven trophies in eight countries over the last three years which is a true testament to what the Waihopai Valley can produce if vineyards are grown and managed well”.

Marris recently told db that his greatest achievement was creating two international wine companies and wineries from scratch and with sales increasing at the equivalent of 100ha of vineyard a year, he has said he will continue to look at other opportunities to purchase developed vineyards to help meet long-term global demand.