Cloudy Bay
Cloudy Bay
(Image credit: Cloudy Bay)

New Zealand wine producer Cloudy Bay is trying to prevent the 12-fold expansion of a nearby brewery on environmental grounds.

Cloudy Bay Vineyards’ estate director, Ian Morden, told decanter.com that Moa Brewery’s plans to expand in the area ‘will have a substantial impact on the surrounding environment’.

The LVMH-owned New Zealand winery is one of three parties still arguing against the craft brewery’s bid to up production from 1m litre to 12m litres of beer annually, despite the plan securing approval from Marlborough District Council planning commissioner John Maassen last month.

Morden said Cloudy Bay’s concerns are based on independent expert advice and ‘relate to noise, odour emissions, wastewater management, water usage, and traffic’.

The winery does not believe that conditions imposed by commissioner Maassen to protect the local environment are adequate, Morden added.

Cloudy Bay and other opponents plan to launch an appeal in New Zealand’s Environment Court.

Written by Chris Mercer

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Chris Mercer

Chris Mercer is a Bristol-based freelance editor and journalist who spent nearly four years as digital editor of Decanter.com, having previously been Decanter’s news editor across online and print.

He has written about, and reported on, the wine and food sectors for more than 10 years for both consumer and trade media.

Chris first became interested in the wine world while living in Languedoc-Roussillon after completing a journalism Masters in the UK. These days, his love of wine commonly tests his budgeting skills.

Beyond wine, Chris also has an MSc in food policy and has a particular interest in sustainability issues. He has also been a food judge at the UK’s Great Taste Awards.