Liquid Gold

One of NZ’s most respected wineries, Waiheke Island’s Goldwater Estate, has been sold to the NZ Wine Fund for $10 million. The Wine Fund, which also purchased Marlborough’s Vavasour Wines in 2003, is predicting combined sales this year of $12-15 million from around 200,000 cases of wine. Goldwater Estate was founded by Kim and Jeanette Goldwater in 1982, the first winery to be established on Waiheke Island. It currently holds the record for the most expensive bottle of NZ wine ever to be sold, after a 6 litre bottle of its sauvignon blanc fetched $13,680 at an auction in Houston last year. The Goldwaters have retained a seat on the board and a 20% share holding.