Kiwi brand chats up UK TV host

A New Zealand producer is reported to be considering the launch of a limited edition wine in honour of UK chat show host Graham Norton, after sending him a case every week for the last two years.

As official wine of The Graham Norton Show, Invivo’s Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is not only served on set but given as a gift to celebrity guests. In the most recent series, these have included actress Gwyneth Paltrow and Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton, as well as actors Tom Cruise, Will Smith and Russell Crowe.

According to the New Zealand Herald, Invivo is yet to run the limited edition idea past Norton, but is planning to send the presenter 500 bottles of Sauvignon Blanc with his name on the label.

Explaining the benefits of this association, Invivo co-founder Tim Lightbourne told the paper: “It’s a talking point for us, it’s to show our local customers in the UK that we’re trying to do things to be talked about – getting the wine in the right hands.

This is not the only celebrity marketing initiative carried out by the brand. Last year Invivo was served at the wedding of Peaches Geldof, daughter of singer Sir Bob Geldof.

The year before it won a profile boost in the US market when Nigel Barker, at the time a judge on TV show Next Top Model, praised the Sauvignon Blanc as “exquisite”.

In addition to these original marketing ideas, Invivo has also proved innovative in its winemaking. The producer was among the first to identify an opportunity for lower alcohol wines, launching a 9% abv Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc called Belle into the UK back in 2010. In the 2012 vintage Invivo unveiled a further range extension in the form of an organic, oak-aged Sauvignon Blanc.