Treasury Wine Estates has purchased the remaining 50% of Rapaura Vintners from Babich Wines in a bid to strengthen its foothold in Marlborough.

Rapaura Vintners is an integrated winery, packaging and warehouse facility located in New Zealand's Wairau Valley.

The acquisition means TWE now has full control over the state-of-the-art facility, to be known as Matua Marlborough. It plans to expand the facility to increase the crush capacity from 15,000 tonnes to 25,000 tonnes in 2013.

Sam Glaetzer, TWE's New Zealand director of wine production and brands, said: "This
investment strengthens our foothold in Marlborough, one of New Zealand's premier wine regions, and signals the confidence we have in our brands, both in New Zealand and on the world stage."

He added: "Securing the Matua Marlborough facility delivers an uplift in wine production capacity and provides further expansion and growth opportunity for TWE. Matua produces a wide range of distinctive and award-winning wines, including New Zealand's first Sauvignon Blanc."

Stuart McNab, TWE's chief supply officer, said: "This is a first-class facility with a team of experienced staff and a proven track record for producing high-quality wines. We are delighted to now have full ownership of the site which we'll be renaming Matua Marlborough to build on the profile and history of the Matua brand in New Zealand and around the world."