One of this country’s most important wine initiatives was
launched this week: Appellation Marlborough Wine (AMW). This brand has been introduced and trademark
registered to protect the reputation of Marlborough wine, and an Incorporated
Society has been established, inviting producers to become licensed members. The primary aim of the initiative is to
protect the integrity, authenticity and brand value of wines produced in
Marlborough.
This initiative is initially focussed on Marlborough
Sauvignon Blanc, as it has long been recognised that there is more wine sold as
‘Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc’ than is actually produced. This problem has been affecting the
reputation not only of Sauvignon Blanc and Marlborough, but arguably all
varieties of wines produced in New Zealand.
As the most prolific and important wine variety produced from this
country’s largest growing region, there have been no standards to be met in any
way on a global context. So for example,
bulk Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough can be shipped, blended and bottled with
any other variety from any country out of the region of Marlborough. This particular practice is already
well-known, and there is a growing resistance to accepting this situation which
degrades the name ‘Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc’.
Criteria Nominated and to be Established
The certification criteria for wines bearing the AMW brand
under the licence agreement must be made from grapes 100% grown in Marlborough
and bottled in New Zealand. The grapes
must 100% be from vineyards that are part of a recognised sustainable
viticultural programme. The grapes must
be grown at an appropriate cropping level with the prime objective of enhancing
quality and the Marlborough name. If the
grapes used to produce the certified wine do not comply with the cropping
level, then it can be tasted by a panel for acceptance.
Clearly, the Appellation Marlborough Wine initiative is in
its foundation stages. There is a lot of
work to be done in setting the actual standards, especially with regards
cropping. There are some basic requirements
already in place, such as the sustainable viticultural programmes, and the
definition of the Marlborough region, as set by GI registration. I’ve been told that AMW is designed to be ‘inclusive’,
and there are 36 members already committed to it. A future step is for the framework to
encompass other varieties and styles.
There are already other groups who have taken steps to
protect the integrity and promote the quality of their wines, such as Waiheke
Island and the Gimblett Gravels. For the
Appellation Marlborough Wine to achieve its goals, it will require a great deal
of work, and the encouragement and support of the other producers, especially
the larger ones, in the region. It is an
important aspect that it will be the wines that earn the AMW brand, and not the
companies per se, so a large producer making wines from around the country (and
even overseas) will still possibly have many wines entitled to AMW.
There is already material produced with the brand
specification (to date) and intellectual property that may be used on labels,
cartons and with advertising and promotional material.
The committee working on Appellation Wine Marlborough is Ivan
Sutherland (chairman), John Forrest (vice chairman), John Buchanan
(secretary/treasurer), james Healy, Fiona Turner, Clive Jones and Yang
Shen. The group has financial support
from Wineworks Marlborough Ltd and the Cresswell-Jackson N.Z. Wine Trust.
I can only fully support this initiative, and trust it achieves
its aims, as well as inspiring other wine producing regions in this country to
consider how they can protect their image, branding and ultimately, quality.