Ben Fogle becomes Cloudy Bay brand ambassador

Famous Kiwi wine brand Cloudy Bay has ditched its Chelsea Flower Show tie-up for sailing, and appointed Ben Fogle as brand ambassador.

Cloudy Bay has appointed Ben Fogle as brand ambassador, who is pictured here with ‘Dave’, the 1985 Cloudy Bay Land Rover. Photo credit: Cloudy Bay / Jack Watson

At an event in London on Monday this week, it was announced that the brand, which is owned by Moët Hennessy, now has a truly global marketing platform following a decision to partner Cloudy Bay with sailing, and name broadcaster and adventurer Ben Fogle as the new face of the New Zealand wine.

Significantly, Cloudy Bay is now the principal partner of the J Class Association, which gathers together an exclusive, growing fleet of privately-owned yachts, replacing its former association with the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, where Cloudy Bay has sponsored a garden for the past four years.

Speaking this week in London, Jo Thornton, managing director at Moët Hennessy UK, described the new tie-up as a “great, new departure for Cloudy Bay,” adding that “it was a major programme” designed to “build an association with sailing and the sailing community for many years to come.”

Fogle, who attended the event, added that he was “thrilled to be working with Cloudy Bay”, commenting that his “lifestyle was about challenge and adventure and the good things in life,” before admitting that he has been “a long term lover of Cloudy Bay”.

Having recently returned from a trip to visit the vineyards and winery of Cloudy Bay in Marlborough, Fogle said, “I would argue that New Zealand is the most perfect country, and I’ve been to over 100 countries… if only we could drag it a little closer.”

When asked about his role as brand ambassador for Cloudy Bay, Fogle commented that he hoped to be a “portal between the brand and the consumer”.

He also observed that while sailing can be “a bit of a mystery” for many, he added that the sport “is coming to the fore” in the UK, and said that he wanted to “share the sailing lifestyle with people… I want to make it more accessible.”

To celebrate the relationship between Cloudy Bay and the sailing community in the UK, Cloudy Bay has become the presenting partner of the Round the Island Race for 2017 and 2018, and Fogle will take part in the challenge as part of the Cloudy Bay crew.

Cloudy Bay’s sailing schedule will continue later in the summer at Cowes Week, where the brand will have its own bar.

The partnership between Cloudy Bay and the J Class Association officially began on 16 March at the St Barths Bucket, a four-day regatta during which 6 J Class yachts participated. This summer, for the first time in more than 80 years, the iconic J Class yachts have been invited to compete in Bermuda at the America’s Cup J Class Regatta as well as in Newport during the inaugural J Class World Championships.

Originally designed to compete for the America’s Cup in the 1930s, the J Class yachts are considered some of the most beautiful boats ever built. Today, eight J Class yachts are sailing in the world’s  waters and many still grace the start lines at prestigious regattas.