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A New Zealand Wine Society promotion has been forced to make a hasty retreat after its Anzac theme left a sour taste with some of its customers.
An online promotion of the "Anzac big guns" - a gold medal-winning Villa Maria Private Bin Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2007 and a silver Amberton Green Label Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 2006 "straight from the Aussie trenches" was supposedly in honour of the Anzacs.
But despite the advertising campaign going to at least 24,000 people, complaints from eight customers forced the withdrawal of all references to the Anzacs and an apology from the wine society.
General manager of the New Zealand Wine Society, Andrea Galbraith, said:
"We would certainly never do anything that was offensive ... we try to do everything with the best of intentions."
Ms Galbraith said as a goodwill gesture the society would donate profits from the selected wines' sale to the Returned Services Association.
PROTECTED
Protected words under The Flags, Emblems and Names Protection Act 1981:
Section 16: UN name/emblem
Section 18: RSA
Section 19: Girl Guides
Section 20: bank, bankers, banking, Ruakura and Department of Scientific and Industrial Research.
Source: Ministry of Culture and Heritage
