Touring a remote part of Bulgaria, an Aucklander recently spotted New Zealand wine labels on the shelves, including 2022 Marlborough sauvignon blancs from Villa Maria and Babich. Then an unfamiliar brand caught her eye – Kiwi Cuvée Bin 88 Sauvignon Blanc 2022.
The front label didn’t mention Marlborough or New Zealand. The back label slightly reduced but didn’t eliminate her confusion, by stating the wine was a “Product of France” and “Vin De France”. The same wine is currently on sale in the UK for £6.99 (NZ$14.80) and the US for $9.99 (NZ$16.70).
According to its producer, the brand Kiwi Cuvée was “created in 2001 to combine New World techniques and tastes with the nobility of French terroirs … Through his numerous travels, our oenologist was inspired by New Zealand wines and techniques of winemaking.”
France has a long history of suing New World winemakers who dared to label their wines as Champagne, Burgundy or Chablis. But in 2006, Greg Day, co-owner of Kahurangi Estate, in Nelson, was forced to withdraw his wine, labelled Kiwi White, from the Swedish market.
“It’s a case of the pot calling the kettle black,” observed Day. “Here’s the French trying to protect Burgundy as a geographical indicator and saying we can’t use Kiwi.”
In 2010, an attempt to register the brand Kiwi Cuvée in Australia was blocked by a trademark tribunal, on the grounds it would confuse Australian consumers. David Cox, then European director of New Zealand Winegrowers, called the move a “delicious irony. In a sense, the sincerest form of flattery is being paid to New Zealand producers of sauvignon blanc.”
So, who makes Kiwi Cuvée? At least one New Zealand “flying winemaker” has been involved in its production. The owner of the brand, Maison Lacheteau, was established in the Loire Valley in 1987. In 2005, Lacheteau was acquired by GCF Group (Les Grands Chais de France), which claims to be “France’s leading wine exporter and ranks fifth among the world’s players”.
What does Kiwi Cuvée Bin 88 Sauvignon Blanc taste like? Wine Enthusiast magazine, in the US, reviewed the 2021 vintage. “This pale, almost greenish wine has wetstone and melon aromas on the nose. It offers a nice balance of minerality and acid but needs more fruit on the palate. The finish is clean and dry.”
The current Kiwi Cuvée selection includes three sauvignon blancs (one from Marlborough, two from France); a pinot gris from Hungary; a Marlborough sauvignon blanc blush (rosé); and a chardonnay, gewurztraminer, pinot noir and malbec, all grown and made in French vineyards and wineries.
Wine of the week
Alpha Domus Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2020
★★★★
Offering fine value, this powerful red is sturdy and supple, with red berry and spice flavours, showing good complexity and richness. (14% alc/vol) $23
