NAPA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--When is a nice glass of white wine ready to be served? With the newly released Matua Sauvignon Blanc, the answer is as easy as “chill checking” the front label.
Pioneering New Zealand winemaker Matua is releasing the 2016 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and Rosé with new thermographic label technology. The Chill Check labels activate as a bottle is chilled to optimal drinking temperature, with the label’s features changing color. Matua is one of the fastest growing New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc wines in the US market.
Matua Chief Winemaker Greg Rowdon says the idea is simple: “it’s all about enhancing freshness and drinkability, making it simple for people to recognize the best temperature to release and enhance flavors, without having to consult a confusing table or chart.”
The revolutionary label features a snowflake symbol that appears when the bottle is optimally chilled, along with a color-changing Ta Moko symbol which darkens when the wine reaches its ideal temperature. In the Maori culture of New Zealand, the Ta Moko is a traditional tattoo of the face or body, sacred to the wearer. The label is a proud symbol of Matua’s New Zealand roots and the winery’s dedication to the nation’s landscape and heritage.
Extensive research trials confirmed the ideal drinking temperature for Sauvignon Blanc and other Matua wines. In addition to the 2016 Sauvignon Blanc, Chill Check labels are also featured on Matua’s Rosé arriving in the US later this summer. Each label is calibrated according to its corresponding varietal: Sauvignon Blanc and Rose, for example, are at their aromatic and lively best at 45/46° F. When chilled, the label retains its color for about 45 minutes, before returning to the initial label color. Chill it again and the label will once again change color.
“Matua has the distinction of being the first winery in New Zealand to produce Sauvignon Blanc, releasing its inaugural vintage in 1974,” notes Rowdon. “Given our legacy for innovation, it seemed only fitting that we’d also be among the first in the wine industry to embrace this new thermographic label, enhancing consumer wine enjoyment and having a bit of fun.”
Founded in the early 1970s by Brothers Bill and Ross Spence, Matua has since become a top producer of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and is a name recognized around the world. Over the years Matua has expanded to vineyards in some of New Zealand’s premier winegrowing regions, including Hawke’s Bay and Marlborough. In 2016, Greg Rowdon was appointed chief winemaker after an 18-year relationship with the winery. Treasury Wine Estates owns and imports Matua Sauvignon Blanc and Rosé to the United States. For additional information, please visit www.matua.co.nz or www.tweglobal.com.