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New Zealand wine brand Wither Hills joins Freixenet Copestick portfolio
Freixenet Copestick has announced a partnership agreement with Lion New Zealand to become the exclusive distributor of Wither Hills in the UK from February 2022.
The vineyards are sited throughout the Wairau Valley sub region of Marlborough, producing Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir – varietals synonymous with this verdant terrain.
Established in 1994 and named after the landmark Wither Hills range that borders the vineyards, Wither Hills was one of the pioneers of the Marlborough wine culture and remains one of the top 5 Marlborough Wine brands in New Zealand today.
Wither Hills previously established sales in the UK through specialist retailers and via its parent company’s Lion Little World business with Waitrose & Partners.
According to Monty James, Asia Middle East Europe Regional Director at Wither Hills’ parent company, Lion, the partnership also supports the brand’s sustainability objectives in export, beyond the success of its carbon neutral winery.
Rob Hilton, head of operations at Freixenet Copestick, said: “Demand for quality New Zealand wine is still strong, and with recent vintage shortfalls, we were keen to find a quality partner to bolster our portfolio offering in this region.
“Wither Hills is one of the pioneering brands that helped put Marlborough on the map in the 90s and continues to create quality wines without pretence that capture the character of the Wairau Valley.
“We recognised the shared synergies of passion, hard work and a commitment to being sustainably ambitious and we look forward to working with them to bring their wines to an even wider audience in the UK.”
Matt Large, head winemaker at Wither Hills Winery, added: “We are excited to work with the Freixenet Copestick team, both through our team here in the Winery in NZ and our UK Export Manager to develop Wither Hills in the UK and Europe into our fourth decade.
“We are proud of our craft and passionate about building wines that are interesting and full of character, as such creating a partnership with Freixenet Copestick who understand quality and have the same passion is a great fit and something unique and inspiring.
“Through focusing on our common goal of creating wines that form the fabric of celebrations we look forward to bringing our passion for our wines to develop our range in the UK market and beyond.”
Freixenet Copestick is the leading sparkling wine importer and distributor in the UK and Ireland and the largest UK branded manufacturer.
Freixenet Copestick recently acquired English winery Bolney Wine Estate to add to its portfolio which already includes Jascots Wine Merchants and online wine retailer Slurp.