Yealands unveils new packaging for 2020

New Zealand wine producer Yealands is attempting to boost its reputation in the UK with a new look for its wine range this year.

Nina Andrew, general manager of marketing for Yealands, said the range is “inspired by our stunning coastal location.”

“Our labels capture the proximity of our vines to the ocean on the edge of the Awatere Valley, Marlborough.”

The wine group appointed Tiffani Graydon as its new CEO in November 2019, and has been tasked with refining the company’s business strategy, centred around its commitment to sustainability.

The company was fully acquired by Marlborough Lines in July 2018.

Harriet Kininmonth, director of buying at UK Distributor Enotria&Coe, said Yealands is now “in tune with the market and committed to being a relevant and innovative payer.“What they are doing in terms of sustainability is remarkable, and this packaging captures the essence of Yealands perfectly.”

Yealands will be at Table 31 at the New Zealand Annual Trade Tasting taking place in London on 15 January.

Yealands is the first winery in the world to be certified Toitū carbonzero, a programme which measures businesses’ greenhouse gas emissions, and puts in place strategies to manage, reduce and offset the impacts.

However, the business has had its fair share of controversy in New Zealand. Peter Yealands, the founder and former owner of Yealands Wine, was fined NZ$18,000 last May after an attempt to recycle grape marc in 2016 backfired, polluting a nearby water source.

During the 2016 grape harvest, around 5,000 tonnes of grape marc, deposited in a pit by Yealands, began to leach out into the surrounding waterway and land.

In a separate case, Yealands Wine Estate was fined NZ$400,000 after pleading guilty to five charges relating to the addition of sugar to wines destined for sale in the EU market in 2018.