Mt Difficulty joins the Foley Wine Family

MT DIFFICULTY JOINS FOLEY WINES

DECEMBER 18, 2018 – Foley Wines is delighted to confirm that consent has been granted by the Overseas Investment Office (OIO) to purchase Central Otago winery Mt Difficulty. 

Foley Wines, who already owns Martinborough Vineyard, Te Kairanga, Grove Mill, Vavasour and Lighthouse Gin, expects that the purchase will be completed as soon as is practical in January 2019.

 “Mt Difficulty is a brand we admire and one that we think fits beautifully with the wineries we already own. They clearly share our purpose of making great wine that people love to drink around the world,” said Foley Wines CEO Mark Turnbull.

 “Our ambition is to be the most revered wine group in New Zealand through the ownership of iconic wineries in New Zealand’s most acclaimed wine regions, and this is a great step toward that. We can now satisfy the most discerning restaurants and retailers around the world with one of the most respected portfolios of handcrafted New Zealand wine and gin.

 “Customers and distributors looking for the best of New Zealand can now access some of the finest expressions of three of New Zealand’s most acclaimed regions, in one location. Since the proposed purchase of Mt Difficulty was announced in 2017, our entire portfolio has attracted considerable interest around the world,” says Turnbull.

 It will be business as usual at Mt Difficulty with Matt Dicey continuing as Chief Winemaker.  “Joining Foley Wines means I can narrow my focus back to winemaking, which is the core of what I love. I’m really excited to get back to that,” says Dicey.

There has already been a lot of collaboration between Mt Difficulty and Foley Wines. Dicey sees joining Foley Wines as a great opportunity to connect and learn. “The New Zealand wine industry has never been an insular place. The ability to interact with the broader team is really exciting.”

 Foley Wines is excited about the opportunities it can create for this iconic winery. It has committed to enhancing the visitor experience at Mt Difficulty’s home in Bannockburn through the redevelopment of the cellar door and restaurant. It has also committed to building a new cellar door and restaurant in Martinborough, creating a destination for visitors to experience its Te Kairanga, Martinborough Vineyard and Lighthouse Gin brands.

 Earlier this month, the company changed its name to Foley Wines Limited from Foley Family Wines, coinciding with its move from the NZX Alternative Board to the NZX Main Board.