Posted on by EvelynD

Lindauer replaces New Zealand grapes in their wine with Australian to cut costs

Emily Brookes | Nov 11 2022

Lindauer is an iconic Kiwi sparkling wine brand, but soon some of your favourite bubbles will be more Aussie than local.

Lindauer is a Kiwi favourite, but costs of local grapes are forcing owner Lion to look overseas.

Starting from next week, the Lindauer Classic Brut going to market will be made with Australian grapes rather than New Zealand, while the Classic Rosé will be a blend of Aussie and Kiwi.

Both were previously made with 100% New Zealand grapes from Gisborne and Hawkes Bay.

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,” she said. “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.

From next week, bottles of Lindauer’s Classic Brut and Classic Rose on sale will be made with Australian grapes.
From next week, bottles of Lindauer’s Classic Brut and Classic Rose on sale will be made with Australian grapes.

“Costs are increasing, so if we are to supply Lindauer to the consumer at the same or similar price point we just couldn’t continue using New Zealand grapes.”

De Witt originally claimed Lion would not decrease the volume of grapes it purchased from New Zealand growers, indicating they would be deployed to other Lion-owned wine brands, which include Wither Hills, Huntaway, Daniel Le Brun and Morton Estate.

After Stuff reported that, however, Lion clarified this point, saying it was purchasing two products’ worth fewer grapes, but claimed that volume would be picked up by other, non-Lion, wine companies.

The new Classic Brut and Classic Rose grapes would be sourced from South Australia, which provided the best climate for the chardonnay, pinot noir and pinotage grapes used in the styles and mimicked the New Zealand grapes that had been used before.

Lion head winemaker Jane De Witt said she hoped if consumers could detect a difference in flavour, it would be an improvement.
Lion head winemaker Jane De Witt said she hoped if consumers could detect a difference in flavour, it would be an improvement.

Initially De Witt was disappointed to be in a position where using foreign grapes was inevitable, she said.

“But I’m really happy with what we’ve got in bottle.”

While all efforts had been made to keep consistency through the Classic Brut and Classic Rose, both of which are non-vintage, De Witt said she had “decided you can never underestimate the consumer in what they can and can’t taste”.

If they could detect a difference, she hoped it would be deemed an improvement.

The move to foreign grapes was a permanent one for these two styles, De Witt said. The only other Lindauer wine made from non-New Zealand grapes was the Prosecco, which used Italian grapes.

Related posts