Trade creditors claim $1.8m from Nobilo-founded Gisborne vineyard, secured claims unknown

Vintner Nick Nobilo.

Unsecured trade creditors are claiming $1.8 million from a Gisborne vineyard founded by prominent vintner Nick Nobilo, the receiver has said.

Secured creditors are expected to boost that sum.

Andrew McKay, the Auckland-based receiver of BDO in charge of Vinoptima Estate, said it was unknown how much money creditors would get back.

"The only way is to get further down the process. At this stage it's totally uncertain," McKay said of money to repay those making claims. That is because assets are yet to be realised.

Whether there will be a surplus will depend partly on the property sale process, being conducted via a tender closing in early December. The 11.92ha property could be sold along with 100,000 litres of wine stored there, McKay indicated.

McKay said he was "open to all offers" and could sell the wine along with the property or split the two and he said he was in discussions with a number of parties on the wine alone.

He did not say in advance of issuing his report how much is being claimed by secured creditors - in addition to the $1.8m claimed by unsecured creditors.

The Personal Property Securities Register shows four businesses with securities over Vinoptima Estate, Latin for best wine, a boutique vineyard Nobilo founded in 2000 and which he said this week had produced around 40,000 bottles of wine annually between 2004 and 2015.

However, he also revealed 100,000L of wine on the property.

Vinoptima outside Gisborne, going under the hammer in December.

The property's marketing says the estate at 138 Ngakoroa Rd, Ormond, has an internationally acclaimed reputation, "heralded as one of the finest wineries in the world", producing gewürztraminer from a custom-designed winery with an amphitheatre layout.

"The purpose-built winery comes complete with a self-contained flat, ideal for the live-in manager through busy vintage times. Historically, an intensive vineyard management programme has ensured the vineyards have been carefully monitored and managed to produce quality grapes," marketing says.

"The estate offers potential to increase bottling capacity and significantly grow the business through broadening the portfolio into other desirable varieties such as chardonnay and sauvignon blanc," an ad says.