If you had to celebrate a 1345 mile trip, which wines would you take with you?
The answer was easy for New Zealand's national airline, which launched its first wine label, Thirteen Forty Five, this month with a Pinot Noir and a Sauvignon Blanc, both made from grapes grown in Marlborough and both produced at Indevin Winery.
The name Thirteen Forty Five comes from the first trans Tasman trip that the airline made in 1940 from Auckland to Sydney, which covered 1345 miles. The flight was operated by Tasman Empire Airways Limited, also known as TEAL, which was the forerunning to Air New Zealand. The new wines are available this month (March) on all Air New Zealand domestic flights during Koru hour. They're also available to those with Airpoints to spend and to anyone travelling on Air New Zealand international flights in Premium Economy.
So, now the spiel is over, how do the actual wines taste?
I was once invited to taste wine in a simulated air cabin in Singapore. It was a revelation, showing clearly how our taste buds work differently in a pressurised, dry environment where the humidity is low, the air is cool and the background noise occupies our minds. These two new wines are clearly made with just those thoughts in mind because they are fruit forward in flavour but dry in taste.
Thirteen Forty Five wine launch
The first two vintages of Thirteen Forty Five are a 2024 Sauvignon Blanc and a 2023 Pinot Noir, both launched at the start of March this year. They were made by Tom Dixon of Villa Maria Wines, owned by Indevin and both were made with grapes grown in Marlborough.
They will be joined by a Hawke's Bay red for the next vintage, which we stand on the cusp of right now; 2025.
Try these
2024 Thirteen Forty Five Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough
This is a great style of wine for drinking in the air, thanks to its tropical fruit salad style and crisp dry finish with zesty acidity adding depth and zing to every sip. This is a blend of grapes grown in the Awatere and Wairau valleys in Marlborough.
2023 Thirteen Forty Five Pinot Noir Marlborough
Marlborough is best known for Sauvignon Blanc but it's fast gaining ground for pretty promising Pinot Noir and the latest to touch the sides of my tasting glass is this silky textured, fruity and dry Pinot Noir made from Marlborough grapes. It's deliciously fresh with light spicy notes on the mid palate. The grapes are all from the Wairau Valley.
