Rotorua’s winery, Volcanic Hills, is flying high as they have managed to impress not just local people with their wares, but also it seems international wine buyers. The 2015 Volcanic Hills Central Otago Pinot Noir has been selected by leading Carrier United Airlines to be served in their first-class cabins worldwide in the second quarter of 2017. Surviving a rigorous selection process overseen by a master sommelier to make the cut.
World Traveler Imports, director William Kolb, (Volcanic Hills Winery US distributor) said the partnership was a perfect fit and would not only add to what United Airlines currently offered, but was a great growth strategy into the ‘Very Hot’ US east coast market for this growing brand.
Brent Park, co-owner of Volcanic Hills Winery said, “for us as a winery this has been recognition of what we are producing is right up there with both the New Zealand’s and the world’s best wine makers. We pride ourselves in producing wines that people really enjoy drinking, even though our vineyards are a fair distanced away, we can still produce world class wines.”
“This development is a great thing not just for our local business, but for the quality of the entire wine industry being recognised on a world stage,” he said, “although, to tell the truth, we now have extremely limited supplies of the wine left for sale, which will be potentially tough on our regular customers for the year.”
Volcanic Hills Winery is now an accepted feature on the Rotorua landscape, having set up business at the highly successful Skyline Rotorua Gondola site in late 2012, with their unconventional location of a winery in the heart of a tourist town, and sourcing grapes from all over New Zealand.
Having also seen success recently with their 2015 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc gold medal, and winning the 2016 Westpac Rotorua Chamber of Commerce Business Award for the best local manufacturer, the vineyard pedigree and quality of the wine production in Rotorua is again being recognised.
