Contract Winemaking

Rapaura Vintner's contract winemaking services covers a range of services from pre-harvest analysis of grapes in the vineyard through to finished wine, stabilized and prepared ready to bottle.

Rapaura Vintners prides itself on providing winemaking services of the highest standards, allowing its clients to focus on viticulture and marketing aspects of their Marlborough wine production.

All Marlborough grapes varieties are handled through the winery using the latest in winemaking equipment and utilising modern winemaking practices. Rapaura's well-experienced and qualified winemakers, taking instructions from our clients' winemaker (or consultant winemaker), oversee winemaking operations. They are assisted by a small group of experienced and dedicated cellar hands and a fully staffed and equipped laboratory.

The winery has a fermentation and storage capacity of 11 million litres provided by stainless steel tanks and open-top fermenters ranging in size from 3,000 litres through to 150,000 litres. This extensive range of vessels ensures that clients' needs are met and that both large and small batches of wine can be made to the highest of standards.

Receival of grapes provides for inspection and weighing of each batch on arrival at the winery. We utilise 7 air bag presses for white wines and specialised tanks are used for settling and cooling the juice. The winery uses a full complement of state-of-the-art pumping, filtering and monitoring equipment. All tanks are refrigerated and temperature monitoring and control is handled by the latest in computer technology. CO₂ and N₂ gas is reticulated throughout the plant.

Every step in the production process is monitored, analysed and recorded providing a full trace-back on all batches to the vineyard providing the original fruit.