Soon, one of the country's most iconic sparkling wines will be a little more Australian than local.
From this week, Lindauer Classic Brut going to market will be made with Australian grapes rather than New Zealand, while the Classic Rose will be a blend of Aussie and Kiwi.
Jane De Witt, head winemaker at Lindauer owner Lion, said the decision had been made to keep costs stable.
“As with everything that’s happening at the moment costs have increased significantly for us. We’ve really struggled to find the volume and the quality that we’re happy with to ensure the quality and the value that our consumers expect."
De Witt said the decision would not mean any New Zealand growers would be out of pocket as New Zealand wine is in high demand and Lion – which also owns over a dozen other wine brands, including Wither Hills, Huntaway, Daniel Le Brun and Morton Estate – continues to buy a significant volume of grapes.
Lindauer Classic Brut and Lindauer Classic Rose are moving to a new base wine that is sourced from Australia and New Zealand. New Zealand and Australia are both recognised for exceptional quality wine and Lindauer is incredibly lucky to have Jane De Witt, who has worked with Lindauer for over 20 years and is New Zealand’s most awarded sparkling wine maker, to perfect the blend.
“Working with Lindauer for more than 20 years has been incredibly rewarding. When faced with a supply challenge for an iconic brand, I felt a huge responsibility to Lindauer drinkers and took this extremely seriously," commented De Witt.
"I’m honoured to put my name to this brand that Kiwis love. Having carefully crafted the wine blend for Lindauer Classics, Lindauer continues to hold up as a great tasting sparkling wine, and exceptional value for money."
The move to foreign grapes was a permanent one for these two styles. The only other Lindauer wine made from non-New Zealand grapes was the Prosecco, which used Italian grapes.
