Brancott Estate nee Montana
We are used to woman changing their names due to walking up the aisle but what does it mean when a winery goes ahead and changes their name; does it mean they now answer to someone else and we wont see them as much? Or does it mean we now have to spend double the amount of money on them? Or perhaps they are just ready to move on and pop out a few wee kiddies?
Well for the iconic winery of Montana Estate in New Zealand it means identifying more with their roots. It’s a bold move for a company which has held its name since the early 1940’s, but the owners – Pernod Ricard New Zealand believe it is a step forward naming their beloved winery after their Marlborough vineyard – Brancott.
Managing Director – Fabian Partigliani explains; “Brancott Vineyard is not only the home of Montana’s flagship Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, it is our original Marlborough vineyard and where Sauvignon Blanc was first planted in Marlborough”.
To say whether this move is the right one, time will only tell but with a solid brand like this and some good marketing and PR I am sure it will be a good move for the company. Humans naturally are uncomfortable with change, but give them some time and I am sure the name will hook on just as surely as Montana did.
Being such an iconic name associated with the New Zealand wine industry we can at least be happy they didn’t decide to go the extra alternative way like the below wineries !
• Cats Pee on a Gooseberry Bush (NZ)
• Roadkill Red (NZ)
• Bitch (Australia)
• Cleavage Creek (USA)
• Mad Housewife (USA)
• Blasted Church (Canada)
• Le Vin de Merde / Wine of Shit (France)
• Fat Bastard (France)
• Frogs Piss (France)