Complex Notes Cast

“Complexity — The Fine Wines of New Zealand”, a webcast wine tasting project which was launched by 21 boutique wineries last year in Denver, Colorado, was held again on Waitangi Day in Chicago in front of a studio audience. Backed by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, its aim is to target key influencers in the upper echelons of the American wine market, who to date have not perceived this country as a producer of top-shelf wines. Leading the project is Craggy Range managing director Steve Smith, who says the Complexity group is making use of social media to reach its audience. The Chicago event was its first test to see if this kind of marketing would work, and had proved successful so far, Smith said. “We’re going to end up with a database of people who we know are New Zealand wine lovers. We’re going to probably tweak our programmes to make sure they stay part of our community. The Complexity group is aiming for the US$18-plus ($23) a bottle segment, representing the top 1 per cent of the American market. “New Zealand’s not playing there at the moment and we need to be,” Smith said.