2021 marks the tenth anniversary of our name-change from Armourtech NZ to Vintech Pacific, in 2011.
The business began back in 1998 when, after being involved with the winery services business Armourtech in Australia, Guy Rutledge returned to Gisborne with the idea to start an innovative winery services business here in New Zealand.
Guy and Maurice Judd teamed up to start Armourtech NZ Limited, beginning with the introduction of MOOG high-pressure barrel washing, in combination with ozone barrel sterilization, to the New Zealand wine industry.
Since then, the business has grown steadily, adding new services and innovative technologies over the years.
Vintech Pacific’s Timeline |
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1998 |
Armourtech NZ is established.Ozone Barrel Sterilization introduced to New Zealand. |
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2000 |
Armourtech first offer Rotary Drum Vacuum (RDV) Filtration as a mobile service, for the recovery of usable wine or juice from juice lees, bentonite lees, racking lees, barrel lees and fermenting wine. |
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2002 |
Flash Pasteurisation is announced as a mobile service. Flash Pasteurisation is a good treatment for enzyme inhibiting and for dealing with rot or botrytis from the vineyard and is also known to improve aroma and shelf stability in wine, enhance aspects of flavour and remove laccase. |
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2004 |
After extensive research, Armourtech introduce Crossflow Filtration as a mobile service. In crossflow filtration, wine passes tangentially across a membrane, simplifying the steps to processing wines before bottling while reducing or eliminating the need for some consumables. In one step, crossflow clarifies the wine and renders it microbiologically stable for bottling. |
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2005 |
Armourtech enter an exclusive technical agreement with VAF MemStar of Australia.MemStar Reverse Osmosis is used to “surgically” remove a lowmolecular-weight constituent of the wine with minimal changes in the rest of the wine’s composition. For example: reduce excess alcohol, remove volatile acidity, remove Brettanomyces taint, Armourtech sign an exclusive technology sharing agreement with Wine Secrets of California, USA. |
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2006 |
Armourtech become exclusive New Zealand agents for French firm Oenodia.This marks the introduction of STARS electro-dialysis technology for tartaric stabilisation and pH adjustment, the zero-additive, energy efficient way to guarantee tartaric stability, control pH, adjust sulphur levels or remove chloride. |
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2008 |
2008 sees the roll-out of our suitcase-sized MicroStar Mobile Labs for demonstrating reverse osmosis and ultrafiltration. Our operator tests a preliminary five-litre sample of your wine. Fullscale MEMSTAR treatments can be modelled on the outcomes observed and winemakers’ tastings. |
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2010 |
2010 Armourtech enters a joint-venture to create Juiceworks.Juiceworks grape juice concentrate is made from New Zealand grape juice, attenuated to European requirements for sweetening export wine. |
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2011 |
Armourtech becomes Vintech Pacific Limited.We first offer a skid-mounted STS45 Centrifuge as a mobile service. The STS45 offers clients a superior method to manage solids and eliminate the need for racking, avoiding consequent product losses and quality-value downgrades. Vintech Pacific enters a joint-venture to create CellarGroup.CellarGroup signs an agreement with Zoono to become exclusive distributor of Zoono sanitisers and protectant products to the New Zealand and Australian wine industries, under the CellarGuard brand. |
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2012 |
Vintech Pacific introduce Phoenix Barrel Rejuvenation to New Zealand and establish a Phoenix robot in Blenheim. This $1.5 million machine equipped with a laser takes 3,600 individual readings of the inside of a barrel, building a map of the surface. A high-speed cutting tool then machines each stave. |
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2013 |
We commission our first Pall XL4 High Pressure Crossflow to trial it as an efficient solution for the filtration of sparkling wines. |
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2015 |
Following from the success of the XL4HP Crossflow, we add the Pall XL10 Hi-Pressure Crossflow to our line-up of mobile services. This unit means we can filter significant volumes of sparkling wines, especially Charmat Process wines, quickly, efficiently and effectively. |
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2016 |
In association with our Technology Partner Wine Secrets in California, we bring a mobile Flash Détente unit to New Zealand for vintage 2016. Flash Détente extraction enhances wine colour, removes green, unripe flavour characters, improves wine structure and texture and accelerates production time. |
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2017 |
Trials begin for the introduction of Spinning Cone Column technology for the capture of aroma compounds and production of low and no alcohol wines. |
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2018 |
Vintech Pacific sign an agency agreement with Agrovin of Spain.2018 sees the introduction of Oxi-Out Dissolved Gas Management to the NZ Wine Industry. Oxi-Out controls gases dissolved in wine using specific molecular sieves for low molecular weight gases such as O2 and CO2. These gasses can be added or removed using either an inert gas carrier or a vacuum. |
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2019 |
Vintech Pacific enter an exclusive technology agreement with ConeTech of California, USA.In 2019 Vintech Pacific purchase New Zealand’s first Spinning Cone Column, from ConeTech in California, for the New Zealand wine industry. ConeTech, developers of GoLo, are the worldleaders in the production of modern low and no-alcohol wines, beers and other beverages. |
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2020 |
Vintech Pacific begin trials with two new, cutting-edge technologies from Agrovin; Resoul Aroma Capture and FreeK+ Ion Transfer.
With ReSoul, aroma compounds only present during fermentation can be captured, preserved and reintroduced to create uniquely expressive wines and equally unique marketing opportunities. FreeK+ uses advanced ion transfer technology to remove potassium, rendering must and wine effectively tartrate stable. Calcium and other metal cations, such as copper and iron, can also be reduced. |
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2021 |
Trials of a new method of rapid extraction, employing ultrasound, begin with the 2021 vintage. Perseo Ultrasound induces cavitation in the grape cells, where the implosion of microbubbles releases energy to gently extract polyphenols, colour and aromatic compounds.Likewise, we begin trials of the Agrovin Alpha Magic filtration system, for highly-efficient juice recovery from lees, while minimising oxidation potential.Trials of ReSoul & FreeK+, hindered by 2020’s Covid-19 pandemic continue during harvest 2021. |
The increasing international demand for New Zealand wine and subsequent need for rapid growth in winery infrastructure to meet this demand, has created the opportunity for Vintech Pacific to help New Zealand wine producers to select, source and finance the latest equipment and technology and to provide those technologies as mobile services.
Our technology sharing agreements with VAF MemStar in Australia, Wine Secrets and ConeTech of California, Oenodia from France and Agrovin in Spain are ongoing and enduring, contributing significantly to us bringing the latest, tried-and-tested wine production innovations to New Zealand’s wine producers.
Beyond vintage 2021, plans are already on-track for the further innovation, growth and development of Vintech Pacific, both our mobile technology services and winery infrastructure offerings.
Stay tuned!
Visit Our Partners |
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| VAF MemStar Australia |
Wine Secrets USA |
Oenodia France |
ConeTech USA |
Agrovin Spain |
| vafmemstar.com.au | winesecrets.com | oenodia.com | conetech.com | agrovin.com |
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| Juiceworks New Zealand |
CellarGroup New Zealand |
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| juiceworks.co.nz | cellargroup.co.nz | |||
