Actress and designer Sarah Jessica Parker (SJP) has recently collaborated with her partners Tim Lightbourne and Rob Cameron from Invino & Co to make a 2020 second Sauvignon Blanc release together.
The New Zealand based winery explained that in 2019, the company blended and signed off the Invivo X, SJP Sauvignon Blanc with SJP in person, but this year it was not possible due to the international travel restrictions.
In what is believed to be the world’s first ever virtual winemaking session, New York-based SJP dialled-in Lightbourne and Cameron from their winery in Te Kauwhata, New Zealand to create and sign off their latest blend, over a two-hour Zoom call, the winemakers said.
SJP, who is best known for her role as Carrie Bradshaw in television series Sex and the City said: “As always, time with Tim and Rob is a delight. They continue to teach, share their talent and knowledge, and guide me toward better understanding of the privileged world of winemaking.”
“I’d much rather prefer to be in their company and was concerned that a virtual blending wouldn’t allow for us to arrive with a blend for our new Sauvignon Blanc that would thrill and delight as the first did," she added.
"I thought the distance would make the kind of necessary communication impossible," she explained, "however it was our typical fun, surprising, wonderfully perplexing moment, and an ultimately fruitful blend.”
The Invivo X, SJP Sauvignon Blanc vintage 2020 will be launched across Irish stores, as well as across global markets such as USA, New Zealand, UK, Ireland, Canada, Japan, Australia and Taiwan in September.
Virtual Wine Blending
Invivo Co-founder Lightbourne said: “It’s important to us that Sarah Jessica blends the wine and signs it off with us – after all her name is on the label so it’s essential that the style of wine we’re making together reflects her tastes just as much as ours.”
In order to do this Invivo said that it couriered six wine samples to Sarah Jessica, taken from the latest harvest in March this year.
Samples of Sauvignon Blanc from various estates in Marlborough, New Zealand, were taken personally from the tank from winemaker Cameron and shipped directly to SJP's home in New York, along with wine-blending equipment in the form of flasks and measuring cylinders, it added.
The wine blending, tasting and adjusting followed the same process that wineries follow, but with the guidance of SJP and overseen by Invivo’s Cameron.
“I couldn’t be more pleased with where we arrived with this year’s grapes,” said SJP.
“I was so worried as competing with our first Saugivnon Blanc felt slightly daunting given its success and our love for it," she added.
Wine Tasting In Ireland
Last year, Sarah Jessica Parker launched her first wine with the Invivo winemakers after previously sampling some of Invivo’s wines during a holiday in Ireland, Invino & Co said.
Since its release the first wine has sold over 400,000 bottles globally, it added.
The 2019 vintage, which is priced at €18 is still available in SuperValu, Joyces, Carry Out, Number 21 Off Licences across Ireland or online.
© 2020 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Donna Ahern. Click sign-up to subscribe to Checkout.
