Wine brand to wow world

By Dita De Boni

Few places seem as fitting as the America's Cup village to launch "brand New Zealand" to the world. Yesterday, wine affectionados mingled with supermarket-chain heads at Pier B in Auckland to see how almost $34 million spent over the last 18 months by West Auckland-based Corbans will wow international wine markets.

Chief executive Noel Scanlan said Corbans hoped to boost exports to its 30 overseas markets from 26 per cent of total sales to almost 50 per cent as part of a 15-year plan to establish its name in the prime markets of Australia, Britain and the United States.

"We are trying to transform from a domestic operation with exports to a world-class exporting operation," he said.

Corbans claims research in Britain shows consumers have stopped buying wine according to country of origin, now preferring trusted brands. The company has accordingly repackaged its house label into five brands.

Mr Scanlan said as part of the export drive the company would buy another 1000 hectares of prime land in Gisborne, Hawkes Bay and Marlborough.