By Amy Looker, editor National Liquor News
New Zealand's Matua has released a new range of wines hailing from the country's three top growing regions and honouring local legends.
The Matua Lands & Legends series features a 2013 Sauvignon Blanc sourced from Marlborough, a 2012 Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay and a 2012 Central Otago Pinot Noir.
Matua's chief winemaker, Nikolai St George, said the new range showcases each region and variety to its very best while drawing on the brand’s Kiwi heritage.
"Regionality plays an integral role in the development of a wine's character. Matua’s most famous wine growing regions – Marlborough, Hawke’s Bay, and Central Otago – not only produce of some of the world’s favourite wines, but they also set the scene for some fabulous yarns from Maori culture," St George said.
"As the ‘Head of the Family’ – the Maori translation of Matua – we have a tradition of telling ancient stories, myths and legends as a way of passing on knowledge to the next generation. The stories of ‘Kupe and the Octopus’, ‘Matakauri and the Giant’, and ‘Maui and the Fish’ are so embedded in the identities of Marlborough, Hawke’s Bay, and Central Otago respectively, that we have had them beautifully illustrated on the labels of our new wines."
The Matua Lands & Legends 2013 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and the 2012 Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay both have an RRP of $27.99, while the Matua Lands & Legends 2012 Central Otago Pinot Noir has an RRP of $29.99.