Source: Villa Maria

Villa Maria plans to convert the entirety of its vineyards to being organically managed by 2030.

Villa Maria has launched its first range of organic wines.

Called EarthGarden, the range consists of a Bordeaux Blend 2019, Pinot Noir 2019, Rosé 2020 and Sauvignon Blanc 2020 (rsp: £13.99-£16.38/750ml). They will hit the UK from late April.

Organic faming “accentuates flavour in other natural produce such as fruits and vegetables, and it’s the same for wine too,” said Villa Maria viticulturalist Hannah Ternent.

“Wines made from organically grown grapes have more intense and evocative flavours. When you taste the EarthGarden wines, you taste the care put into the soil, the conscious tending of the vines, the careful handling of the fruit produced and the respect for our relationship with the land.”

The brand cited IWSR data that suggested the global organic wine market was likely to grow 43% by 2024. Villa Maria plans to convert the entirety of its vineyards to being organically managed by 2030.

“With the environment an ever more pressing consideration in all of our minds, the time couldn’t be more perfect to start showcasing the work that Villa Maria has been doing, for many years now, to put sustainability at the heart of the business,” said Fiona Mottershaw, brand controller at Villa Maria’s UK distributor Hatch Mansfield.

It comes on the back of a stellar year for the Kiwi wine brand in the mults: sales of Villa Maria surged amid the pandemic, rising by just under a third (32.9%) to £95.4m – a £23.6m gain that saw it overtake Wolf Blass to become the UK’s 11th biggest wine brand [Nielsen 52 w/e 5 September 2020].