Historia
As a country that is now known internationally for the crafting of top quality wines, it comes as a surprise that before 1980 New Zealand didn’t produce a commercially available bubbly of its own. With a world-class reputation in winemaking to live up to, there were great expectations when a little over 30 years ago we began to produce a sparkling wine.
The roots of Lindauer were established in early 1980s by the New Zealand's largest winery Montana Wines. A mere 20,000 cases of sparkling wine came from the 1980 harvest of Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay grapes. It was an effervescent, Kiwi twist on Champagne, the first commercial traditional method sparkling wine in NZ released before Christmas 1981, just in time for a celebratory summer toast.
The New Zealand potential as the quality sparkling wine producer, was noticed by Champagne Deutz who formed a joint venture company with Montana Wines in 1989. The current owner of Lindauer, Lion Nathan, saw the potential of NZ sparkling wines during the 1990s and was willing to acquire the Lindauer brand in 2000 which ended up to international spirit company Allied Domecq in 2001. The brand ended up in Pernod Ricard portfolio after their acquisition of Allied Domecq in 2005. In 2010 Pernod Ricard decided to change the Montana Wines brand to Brancott Estate to avoid risks of mixing the brand's origin to Montana State in United States. Year later Lion Nathan did not hesitate to acquire the Lindauer brand when it came available from Pernod Ricard.
Lindauer’s international awards and critical acclaim have made it our most loved sparkling wine. Originally named after European painter Gottfried Lindauer (1839-1926), well known for his near photographic paintings of the Maori people, the wine has developed into a household name of its own. Ingrained in our history as New Zealand’s largest sparkling wine producer, it has become a brand we associate with friends, family and the quintessential kiwi celebration.
It’s not just New Zealanders who have come to love Lindauer either. Now sold in 20 countries, it’s New Zealand’s biggest sparkling wine export, with consumers and media all around the world recognising the value and quality of Lindauer’s diverse range.
Like any brand that has stood the test of time, the product has had to continue to evolve. Just as we strive to improve every drop of bubbly inside the bottle, we craft the outside of the bottle to match. That’s why along with new packaging, Lindauer is sporting a brand new logo, including the 1981 establishment date carefully designed to represent the long, rich history that Lindauer has had in New Zealand. The tui features on either side, a nationally recognized bird that we have included to show how much New Zealand has always been a focal point of our brand and where our bubbly has been produced right from the beginning. Known also as a talkative bird, the tui represents Lindauer’s place as both a social brand and the perfect drink to make any occasion something special.