First South Island Winery to be Vegetarian Approved

News Release
4 July 2012
For Immediate Release

Blackenbrook First South Island Winery to be Vegetarian Approved

Family owned and operated Blackenbrook Vineyard in Tasman, near Nelson is proud to be the first Vegetarian wine producer in the South Island approved by the New Zealand Vegetarian Society.

Blackenbrook’s white and Rosé wines will carry the Vegetarian Society Approved Trademark (see attached photo) which is run under strict licensing criteria from the UK Vegetarian Society.

The first wines to be labelled with the distinctive logo will be bottled in early August and include Blackenbrook Sauvignon Blanc 2012, Riesling 2012, Pinot Gris 2012 and Rosé 2012. Next year Blackenbrook Gewürztraminer, Muscat and Chardonnay will be added to this list.

Blackenbrook owner and winemaker Daniel Schwarzenbach says they applied for the Vegetarian Certification in response to increasing demand from wine buyers here in New Zealand and in their main export market, Japan.

“The Vegetarian logo will be a fantastic tool to set our wines apart on the wine shelves and help vegan or vegetarian consumers feel confident about their wine choice.”

Blackenbrook is one of less than 5% of wine producers in New Zealand who make vegan wines with accredited sustainable practices and has now joined only two other New Zealand wine producers in gaining certification from the Vegetarian Society.

Spokesperson for the New Zealand Vegetarian Society, Jeanette Blackburn says it’s great to
have Blackenbrook officially confirmed and certified as a Vegetarian wine.

“This easily recognised trademark means vegetarians can feel assured that the product has been verified as truly vegetarian. It’s recognised internationally, with over 8,000 products in the UK and Europe licensed to show the trademark on their labels.”

“We’re excited that Blackenbrook is producing wine suitable for vegetarians and vegans and hope this will start a trend for other winemakers to follow,” says Jeanette.

Blackenbrook make their wines using gentle processes and as little intervention as possible in their gravity-fed winery.

Daniel says: “A lot of people don’t realise that animal products can be used to fine the young wines, a process aimed at removing bitterness or other unwanted components from wine. Here at Blackenbrook, we don’t need to fine our wines. Our winery is designed for gentle winemaking. The resulting wines are nicely balanced and don’t require fining. Our driving philosophy has always been to let the grapes speak, with as little interference as possible. “

He says they decided to apply for Vegetarian Certification after seeing a steady rise in the
number of people asking for vegetarian and vegan wine.

“More and more consumers want to know exactly what’s in their wine and how it was made. At Blackenbrook, we’re not only happy to tell you but we are also incredibly proud of the way we make our wine,” says Daniel Schwarzenbach.

ENDS

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