Matua introduces new Legends range to its New Zealand wine portfolio

By Richard Siddle

Published: 31 March, 2014

New Zealand winery, Matua, is introducing a new premium range of wines in to its key UK and European markets called Matua Lands & Legends.

The range will be handled by its distributors, Treasury Wine Estates, and was officially introduced to the trade at last week's ProWein trade exhibition in Dusseldorf, Germany.

The Matua Lands and Legends series uses the best parcels of fruit available to the winery from two of the country's most respected wine growing regions, Marlborough and Central Otago.

It is positioned in the Matua portfolio as below its luxury Single Vineyard range and above its Regionals selection of wines.

Matua, which claims to be the first winery in New Zealand to plant and produce Sauvignon Blanc, hopes to re-assert its strong traditional and historical ties to the country with two wines inspired by famous Maori legends.

The wines include:

Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2013, which tells the story of the Maori legend of the Kupe and the Octopus. This stems from the legend of a navigator, Kupe, who battled with a giant octopus stealing all his fish. In the fight the octopus's tentacles gouged out the Marlborough Sands and when Kupe killed it he took the octopus's eyes and placed them on two rocks known today as Nga Whatu - the "eyes". It is near here where the grapes for the wine have been grown.

Central Otago Pinot Noir 2012, which is a depiction of the Matakuri and giant Maori legend. This tells the story of a brave warrior, Matakuri, who rescues his love from a savage giant. He then started a fire that killed the giant and in so doing created a hole 1,000 feet deep. This then became Lake Wakatipu. It is near where the grapes for the new wine have been grown.

The two tales have been integrated in to the label design of the two wines.

Mathew Bird, Treasury EMEA's marketing director, said: "Matua has become a priority brand for TWE in EMEA based upon its quality credentials, differentiated positioning, retailer confidence and strong rate of sale. Over the last 12 months, Matua has secured major new listings across the board, helping drive the New Zealand wine category.

Matua was first introduced to the UK in 2012

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