The pitch: Long-term branding trumps meaningless 'Reserve' tag on wines

By PAUL TUDOR*

I recall with horror, a couple of years ago, opening a parcel of samples from a large, Auckland-based wine company that had decided to reorganise its product ranges.

What shocked me was not that it had sent merely its basic, entry-level range, but that these entry-level $12.95 wines had been renamed "Winemaker's Reserve".

During more than 10 years in wine retailing, education and public speaking, I have been asked by hundreds of people what "reserve" means on NZ wine.

Unfortunately, I have never been able to give them an answer, because there has never been an agreed standard and none seems likely, either, in the near future.

However, help may be at hand in the curious form of EC Regulation 753/2002.

After years debating the issue with New World wine countries, the Europeans have gone ahead and promulgated an initial set of rules protecting so-called "traditional terms", that is, those additional labelling descriptors used in relation to appellations or "geographical indications" (GIs).

Our Government has never conceded nor recognised the existence of any special rights in traditional terms, but then we do not have a wine access agreement with Europe either.

But if, as a number of our industry leaders maintain, human intervention is a significant part of "terroir", the physical origins of a particular wine, then traditional winemaking practices, developed in particular wine regions, must surely be indicators of origin. In which case, descriptions of such traditions are integral to the label-ling and ought to be afforded protection.

Unfortunately, our industry has no clear traditions nor any enforceable rules about what constitutes "reserve" wine. (I have even read one proposal that suggests that "Private Bin" should be synonymous with "Reserve", which is laughable.)

I feel sorry for companies such as Villa Maria, which have only ever applied the term "Reserve" to a few wines that meet exacting, high standards.

EC753/2002 should jar the New Zealand industry into action, as it accords protection for both "Reserva" (for most Spanish appellations) and "Riserva" (for certain Italian appellations).

In both cases, there are clear rules relating to maturation. I note that France has not claimed traditional term status for their word "Raacéserve", rightly so, as it has little significance to any particular French appellations.

The Europeans have certainly not got their GI system completely right but they do have a headstart on the rest of the world in leveraging intellectual property rights from their famous vineyards and wine regions.

Rather than scrapping with the Europeans over this, we should focus on protecting and promoting our own, unique "viticultural intellectual property".

Trade-marking proprietary names or using specific vineyard designations on the label are good ways to impress upon the world that our wines are distinctive.

This is the model followed by our finest producers, among them Te Mata Estate, Cloudy Bay, Kumeu River and Daniel Schuster. It is a case of long-term brand building, rather than a quick fix.

So what happened to the $12.95 "reserve" range? Well, it only lasted a couple of months.

* Paul Tudor is an independent wine critic and consultant.

* Email Paul Tudor

* The Pitch is a forum for those working in advertising, marketing, public relations and communications. We welcome lively and topical 500-word contributions.
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