GRAHAM NORTON reveals Hollywood starlet he wants to sell NZ
Kiwi winemaker Invivo looks to recruit more famous ambassadors, reports John Anthony.
Young, fun and with a touch of class – just like Jennifer Lawrence. That’s how Graham Norton describes a New Zealand wine he personally blended.
The Irish comedian has been a brand ambassador for Waikato winery Invivo Wines since 2011 and last year was given the opportunity to choose the final blend for his own vintage – Graham Norton’s Own Sauvignon Blanc by Invivo 2015.
The pairing originally came about when Invivo founders Tim Lightbourne and Rob Cameron sent Norton a case of Invivo wine after noticing the host of the Graham Norton Show always had a glass of white wine on hand as he interviewed the world’s hottest celebrities.
It turned out Norton was a big fan of the wine and Invivo has been sending a case to the Graham Norton Show every week since then – securing itself as the official wine supplier to the show.
They even managed to get Norton to stomp some Marlborough sauvignon blanc grapes on stage in 2014 as part of a marketing stunt for his first vintage, Graham Norton’s Own Sauvignon Blanc 2014.
The 53-year-old not only liked the wine but also the company and bought a 1 per cent share in 2014 and another 1 per cent a year later.
Norton says he has enjoyed New Zealand sauvignon blanc for a long time.
‘‘The boys from Invivo heard about that and were smart enough to think, wine plus celebrities equals some press coverage,’’ Norton told the Sunday Star-Times.
‘‘I admired them for their marketing know-how but also the quality of the wine.’’
For Graham Norton’s Own Sauvignon Blanc 2015, Lightbourne and Cameron flew to the UK and gave him the opportunity to decide on the final blend.
Lightbourne says the plan is to do a ‘‘fun blend’’ each year with Norton, whom he describes as having a very discerning palate.
‘‘He was picking some very, very subtle flavour differences which takes quite a palate to choose,’’ Lightbourne says.
Asked to compare his sauvignon blanc to a guest from the show, Norton likened it to Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence – young, fun and a bit classy.
Norton says it is an easy drinking wine.
‘‘It’s got all the grassiness and zest you expect from a new-world sauvignon blanc but I like to think it has a bit of an old-world finish.’’
Having such a big name backing the brand has no doubt helped Invivo’s success and Lightbourne is already thinking about what other celebrities the winery can align with as it looks to expand into new markets.
Last year the company raised $2 million in less than two weeks through crowdfunding – becoming the first New Zealand business to raise the maximum amount allowed.
Since then it has moved into an historic 114-year-old Waikato winery in Te Kauwhata, about one hour south of Auckland.
Lightbourne says visitors to the winery are always asking which tank contains Norton’s wine – so they commissioned artists to paint the talk show host’s face on it.
Founded in 2008, Invivo is a winery with no vineyards.
Instead of growing its own grapes, it sources them from up to 20 growers in Marlborough, Central Otago and Gisbourne, some of which supply exclusively to Invivo.
Invivo produces wine under two distinct brands – Invivo and Graham Norton.
About 85 per cent of all the wine it produces is sauvignon blanc and up to 40 per cent of sauvignon blanc sales are Norton’s wine.
It also produces rose, pinot gris, riesling, chardonnay and pinot noir.
The winery currently pumps out 100,000 cases a year – or about 1.2 million bottles.
Lightbourne says the goal is to keep growing at 40 or 50 per cent each year.
‘‘Obviously it’s got to be profitable growth while keeping our prices at a premium.
‘‘It’s easy to go sell at low prices, it’s tougher to keep growing and be profitable at the same time and that’s where we want to be.’’
Norton’s wine retails for $18 a bottle and is selling well in New Zealand, Australia, the UK and Ireland.
‘The brand is flying in Ireland. Stores are selling out,’’ Lightbourne says.
Invivo recently won a contract with large Australian alcohol store chain BWS to sell Norton’s wine in 1008 stores nationwide from the end of the month.
Invivo is looking to add to the 17 countries it already sells to but there are some markets where the Graham Norton brand would not work, such as North America and Asia, Lightbourne says.
That is where the possibility of recruiting more celebrities as brand ambassadors comes in.
Lightbourne is a marketer by trade, having previously worked for L’Oreal – a company which puts an emphasis on associating its brands with wellknown faces. ‘‘We probably would connect with someone who’s known in the market. ‘‘I always like ambassadors or people known to be attached to the brand.’’
But wine is about more than just a brand – what’s in a bottle is more important than what’s on a label.
And Norton’s wine does stack up, having been awarded a range of medals at international competitions.
The next Graham Norton vintage is expected to be released in August with both a sauvignon blanc and a red wine.
‘‘People come to it because it’s Graham’s wine but hopefully return to it because they like the quality.’’