Winemakers bubbling over US listing

By IRENE CHAPPLE and NZPA

The Hyatt hotel chain's wine list in the United States is shaping up to be a very New Zealand affair.

The chain has given the nod to Allied Domecq's Lindauer sparkling wine, Spy Valley pinot noir and The Crossing's sauvignon blanc.

The two wines will join the chain's "highly recommended" wine list while the bubbly was selected as the chain's house pour.

More than 10,000 cases of Lindauer will be shipped annually to the chain in a marketing coup which back of an envelope calculations show could be worth about $1.2 million for the brand's owner, Allied Domecq.

The three-year deal with the Hyatt precedes Lindauer's launch into the American market this month.

Allied Domecq international development manager Jim Robertson said the Hyatt deal was a "key building block" for the brand's future in the United States market.

"It's a wonderful start but in six months time I may be able to tell you [sales] are double."

The Crossing's marketing and sales manager, Peter Rickards, said the Hyatt had an international clientele with just the right demographic - wine drinkers looking for top quality wines from around the world.

He said he was "absolutely thrilled" two Marlborough wines had been selected. Rickards said he understood The Crossings was the only sauvignon blanc from New Zealand or Australia on the wine list.

He said how much wine was involved would depend on how well the company followed up and worked the market, but it could be a "significant amount".

Spy Valley general manager Blair Gibbs said securing a place for Spy's pinot noir on the wine list would result in "substantial amounts" sold through the chain.

The United States is Spy Valley's biggest market, taking 20,000 of its 80,000 cases.