Some Montana wines to be made with Australian grapes, not NZ

Wednesday, 31 January 2018

Montana sauvignon blanc will no longer carry the Marlborough label on the front, as the wine will be made from Australian grapes.

One of New Zealand's largest wine producers is ditching Marlborough grapes in favour of Australian grapes for some of its wine.

Since February last year, Pernod Ricard New Zealand has been trialling the change of grapes in two of its most popular Montana wines.

Master of Wine Bob Campbell is disappointed by the move, saying 'Australian sauvignon blanc is, by and large, inferior'.

Managing director Kevin Mapson said the move to change the source of its grapes was a result of increased demand and the rising cost of New Zealand grapes.

However, respected Kiwi wine writer Bob Campbell said while the move was 'perfectly legal', it was 'deceptive' and 'misleading', as the country of origin would be printed on the back label, rather than the front.

Brancott Estate, in Fairhall, is home to some of the first Marlborough sauvignon blanc plantings.

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Montana is a brand closely linked to Marlborough, as it helped put Marlborough sauvignon blanc on the global stage. Campbell describes the brand 'as Kiwi as Buzzy Bee, Jaffas and Fred Dagg'.

Campbell, who is a Master of Wine, said he believed Pernod Ricard changed the grapes because bulk Australian sauvignon was cheaper than bulk Marlborough sauvignon.

'[But] there's a reason for the price difference. Australian sauvignon blanc is, by and large, inferior.'

He did not think the effect on Marlborough and New Zealand, as wine brands, would be too profound, he said.

'It's more a case of not wanting to mislead local wine buyers. A prominent 'Australia' on the front label would help.

'You're dashing around the supermarket and need something fresh and fruity for dinner. Sauvignon blanc, perfect, $9.99, good price, Montana, must be Marlborough. Who checks the back label?'

#MrGrumpy This week, I get grumpy about some deceptive packaging under the Montana Wines label. https://t.co/YhOIYr0mmA pic.twitter.com/dswcbV0piP

— Bob Campbell MW (@VinoNZ) January 29, 2018

Mapson said it was increasingly challenging to produce New Zealand-sourced wine for under $10.

'[So] by sourcing grapes from Australia, we can continue to make wines of the quality that Montana consumers expect at the same price point.'

The company had worked hard to minimise the change in wine style, and was 'confident' it could deliver the quality of wines its consumers expected, he said.

'This is not a first for the industry and is common place among brands.'

The wines using the Australian grapes include the Montana Classics and Montana Affinity ranges. All of the other Montana ranges will continue to be made from New Zealand grapes.

In 2005, Pernod Ricard, a French-owned wine and spirits giant, bought Allied Domecq, which had owned Montana for four years.

The company quickly established a New Zealand branch and continued to sell wine under pre-established brands nationally, as well as overseas.

In 2010, Pernod Ricard New Zealand decided to rebranded all its export wines under its Brancott Estate label.

The name change triggered partly by the strong growth of wine exports to the United States, where Montana Wines has been known as Brancott Estate for more than a decade to avoid market confusion.

Many North Americans associated Montana Wines with the State of Montana, rather than Marlborough, New Zealand.

Brancott Estate, in Fairhall, was the first Marlborough vineyard planted with sauvignon blanc in 1975.