New Zealand Archives

Air New Zealand Debutes Premium Wine Label “Thirteen Forty Five”

Air New Zealand has recently introduced an exclusive new wine label, “Thirteen Forty Five,” available exclusively to its passengers.

Thirteen Forty Five was named in tribute to a significant milestone in the airline’s history – the inaugural flight from Auckland to Sydney in 1940, which covered 1345 miles. Operated by Air New Zealand’s predecessor, TEAL (Tasman Empire Airways Limited), this flight ushered in a new era of air travel, connecting New Zealand to the world.

The label launches with two signature varietals, sauvignon blanc and pinot noir, crafted in collaboration with renowned New Zealand wine producer Villa Maria, part of Indevin Group. These wines are now available in Air New Zealand lounges throughout New Zealand and in Premium Economy cabins on international flights.

Air New Zealand General Manager Customer Experience Kylie McGillivray-Brown says the unique blends have been carefully crafted to provide an exclusive experience for customers, whether they’re enjoying a glass in the air or while relaxing in a lounge.

About the Wines

The sauvignon blanc blends grapes from select vineyards in Marlborough’s Wairau and Awatere valleys, offering aromas of passionfruit, lemongrass, and subtle herbal notes. The pinot noir, sourced from vineyards on the eastern side of the Wairau valley, showcases flavours of cherry and plum with hints of dried herbs and violets.

Winemaker Tom Dixon of Villa Maria says: “We couldn’t have asked for better vintages to produce the debut release of these wines. The conditions during the growing seasons were very favourable for producing high quality wines that reflect their respective varieties and showcase the essence of sauvignon blanc and pinot noir from Marlborough.”

Demand for New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc causes strong export growth

Soaring demand for New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc allowed the country’s wine producers to increase exports by 25% in the past year.

Strong export value and increasing international demand will help support further export growth over the next 12 months, despite a challenging season and a smaller harvest than last year, reports New Zealand Winegrowers.

The total value of the New Zealand wine industry exports (year to May 2023) was $2.4 billion, up 25% on 2022.

“Reaching another new record level of wine exports into some of the world’s largest and most competitive markets is an outstanding achievement for New Zealand wine exporters, and testifies to the increasingly strong global demand for our wines,” says Philip Gregan, CEO of New Zealand Winegrowers.

“New Zealand wine, particularly Sauvignon Blanc, is going from strength to strength in the USA, as consumers appreciate the distinctive flavours, commitment to quality, and know it is a unique product that they can trust.”

This year’s vintage will help the industry to meet increasing international demand, and consumers can look forward to some exceptional 2023 New Zealand wines. Nationally, harvest was down 6% on the record level 2022 vintage

The largest export markets are the United States, the UK and Australia, which account for the bulk of sales.

Invivo Air – the world’s first winery airline embarks on its inaugural flight

New Zealand wine producer Invivo took to the skies on January 31st for its first official flight. Traveling from Auckland to Queenstown, 30 guests enjoyed a unique wine tasting at 18,000 ft, a vineyard tour, winemakers’ dinner and an overnight stay at the five-star Hilton Queenstown Resort & Spa.

Over 16 Invivo wines were sampled during the flight, including expressions from Graham Norton and Sarah Jessica Parker’s collections, and wines from the producer’s flagship Invivo range. Wines were also served alongside local Kiwi cuisine such as fresh oysters, West Coast whitebait, Lumina lamb and Stewart Island salmon.

Named ‘Cloud Wine’, the aircraft’s interiors reflect a vineyard aesthetic, with hanging vines, and guests received an inflight magazine.

Upon arrival in Queenstown, flight guests were transported to ‘Legend’s Terrace’, one of Invivo’s oldest vineyards in Central Otago, for a tour and tasting.

In the evening, guests enjoyed a lavish Winemakers’ Banquet-style dinner at Queenstown’s Botswana Butchery, which opened exclusively for Invivo Air. The five-course meal featured dishes such as Freshly Shucked Oysters and Seared Fijian Yellowfin Tuna Tataki – all paired with Invivo’s range of wines and spirits. Guests stayed overnight at the Hilton Queenstown Resort & Spa on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, before returning on the Invivo Air flight the next morning back to Auckland.

“As a Kiwi company, we loved showcasing some of our stunning wine regions, vistas, gastronomy and of course wine to our passengers,” states co-owner, Tim Lightbourne. “We’ve had such positive feedback from our guests, we’re planning our next experience – we’d love to run an international flight for our next trip!”

Future Invivo Air flights are now available from www.Invivoair.com.

#airlinewine #wine #winelovers #travelling #winetasting #winepairing #CloudWine #vineyards #invivoair #invivowines #newzealandwine #nzwine #travelnewzealand #queenstown

Save the date for another “Premier Event by Les Dames d’Escoffier Ontario ….

It’s a “White Party” with Senior Winemaker from New Zealand “Helen Morrison” of Villa Maria Estate, one of New Zealand’s prominent wine producers.

Helen Morrison is responsible for producing some of the country’s best Sauvignon Blancs, and other wines.

Please mark this amazing event on your calendar … further details to follow!

July 21 – 7:00 pm Toronto Event

All proceeds benefit Les Dames d’Escoffier Ontario Student Bursary Program.

#savethedate #event #womeninwine #womeninfood #womeninhospitality #womenwinemakers #torontoevent #toronto #torontolife #womeninwinebusiness #womenleaders #Lesdames #LesdamesOntario #LDON #lesdamesdescoffier #fundraiser #LesDamesON #womenwholift #womeninwinetalks #womenwinemakers #womensupportingwomen #nzwine #villamariawines #madeforthemoment #summerinthecity #whiteparty #fêteblanche #fete @villamariawines

New Zealand Winegrowers Announce Inaugural 2021 Wine Week

The New Zealand Winegrowers has just revealed details its inaugural New Zealand Wine Week, which kicks off February 8th, 2021 as a virtual event.

With activities planned across the USA, UK, Ireland, and Canada, there is a wide-range program including tastings, discussions, and online activities, including ‘Challenging the Myths around Food Miles.’

The events have been designed to explore New Zealand’s wine story showcasing its “premium, sustainable, and diverse wines”, states NZW.

They will also offer participants the opportunity to participate in live discussions with leading wine voices from around the world.

“In these challenging times we are delighted to be able to work together across our key Northern Hemisphere markets to bring a wide range of valuable intel and insight from renowned speakers,” said Charlotte Read, general manager, marketing.

“We aim to shine a light on many aspects of New Zealand wine during this week and show that even though we can’t physically be together, we can raise the profile and celebrate New Zealand wine with our trade and media audiences,” she added.

Other activities include: ‘What’s New… What’s Next!?’ – a winemaker led panel discussion seminar exploring behind the scenes in New Zealand wine cellars; ‘Pinot Noir Soils’ – a webinar delving into the different regions that excel in growing Pinot Noir; Syrah Masterclass – exploring the diverse styles and regional expressions with Rebecca Gibb MW; New Release Self Pour – a guided self-pour tasting to explore a set of new releases from New Zealand; and Instagram Lives with Dr. Jamie Goode plus several New Zealand winery personnel to explore different facets of New Zealand wine.

As part of the week, an online New Zealand wine catalog will also be launched, aimed at trade-based in US, UK, Ireland, and Canada, which will provide a service whereby customers can browse participating winery profiles and compare varieties, price, channel, and availability in each market.

For full details and registration

https://www.nzwine.com/en/events/new-zealand-wine-week/