A New Zealand icon turns 25

Founded by Kim and Erica Crawford 25 years ago, Kim Crawford has become one of New Zealand’s most recognisable wine brands.

Creating wines from two of New Zealand’s most famous regions, Marlborough and Hawke’s Bay, the Kim Crawford brand today enjoys an annual sales volume of $26.7 million and boasts being the largest New Zealand wine brand by volume in both the US and Canada. 

Arriving at the point of great success didn’t happen overnight, with the couple working hard and playing to their respective strengths. Mr Crawford made the wine and Erica managed the business. 

Using funds borrowed against their home, the pair broke the conventions of the wine world at the time and began a ‘virtual winery’ buying grapes from contract growers and making wine in other people’s wineries.  

“In the mid 1990s, the world started noticing Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, so we decided to put it all on the line and start our own brand. Our approach to this was to counter a market flooded with oak aged Chardonnay and the result was a truly unique expression of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc that stood out compared to existing examples on the market at the time,” Crawford said. 

“We started this dream from our home in Auckland, New Zealand and hoped it would succeed. But taking the world by storm first came with a plethora of challenges and obstacles that tested us and saw us build a resilience we still carry with us today. We nearly lost it all at one point but it was fighting spirit and maverick attitude that kept us going,” Mrs Crawford said.

From resilience came innovation and a continuing to push boundaries and set trends with Kim Crawford being the first wine label to move to screwcap closures in New Zealand.

Kim Crawford took North America by storm, with a freshness and flavour profile that these markets hadn’t seen before. New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc had now become a phenomenon within the wine world and unlocked a passion that would continue to grow for years to come. 

Today, Kim Crawford forms part of Constellation Brand’s portfolio of wines.

Kim Crawford Winemaker, Brett Fullerton, says the continued changes in viticulture, seasons and subregional profiles is what makes Sauvignon Blanc so intriguing to make.

“Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand is so diverse each year which isn’t all that common within the wine world. To see a growing season and all the effort that goes into making wine come to life, we love seeing the evolution of Kim Crawford and the wines that are produced each vintage,” says Mr Fullerton.

Committed to innovation, Kim Crawford has an ever-developing product range such as the Illuminate Sauvignon Blanc, a low calorie, low alcohol, white wine option designed to fit with our lifestyle without impacting it.  

The Illuminate Sauvignon Blanc is elegant yet full flavoured, offers crisp acidity and is highlighted with a refreshing herbal and citrus finish. A quintessential expression of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, the Kim Crawford Illuminate has a grassy, passionfruit nose and a palate alive with vibrant citrus of grapefruit, lemon and lime. 

The Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc is a benchmark Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, this classic and consistent wine has been named in the Wine Spectator Top 100 four times. It has lifted citrus, tropical notes with a racy, bright acidity. Pairs brilliantly with seafood, fresh summer salads or wonderful as an aperitif this spring.