The Toi Toi family owned winery, which focuses on regional varieties from NZ’s best wine growing regions, has recently merged with the boutique Marlborough winery, Staete Landt Wines.
The combined resources and capabilities of these two wineries will open new markets and scale opportunities for their quality focused wines.
Toi Toi plans to use its considerable operations and marketing resources to support growth of both the Staete Landt and Map Maker labels, making these ultra-premium wines, which were until now almost exclusively sold overseas, more accessible to New Zealand consumers.
Consumers in export markets will also be introduced to the Toi Toi range through synergies with Staete Landt’s extensive international channels and networks, which include the USA, Canada, China, Asia and Europe.
Kevin Joyce, owner of Toi Toi Wines’ says “I think Ruud Maasdam is one of the best winemakers in New Zealand and I am very impressed with the quality of his wines. They are all hand crafted with finite attention to detail. His oak barrel work with Sauvignon Blanc is sensational and his Staete Landt “Duchess” Sauvignon Blanc is quite different to anything else I have tasted in Marlborough. Staete Landt will be a huge asset to our portfolio and I am looking forward to making these wines more accessible to NZ consumers.”
Passionate winemaker and founder of Staete Landt Wines, Ruud Maasdam, emigrated to New Zealand from The Netherlands in 1996, believing New Zealand to be the best place in the world to grow grapes and make eclectic wines. He first developed a world-class reserve ‘single’ vineyard wine range from Marlborough’s ‘Golden Mile’, a special small strip of land located on the old riverbed soils in the sub region of Rapaura. These single vineyard wines were made predominantly from hand-harvested grapes, but as his reputation grew, he then expanded to include grapes from specially selected vineyard parcels from across the Wairau Valley for both the Map Maker and Staete Landt wine series.
Maasdam’s passion for winemaking precision is matched by a capability in sales and marketing – which has ensured the success of his labels internationally.
He says: “Making full flavored wines with an accent on structure and complexity whilst maintaining ‘fun’ and drinkability has been my sole focus. Especially having three distinctly different boutique
styles of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is an awesome challenge, but is also a huge point of difference.”
Besides Sauvignon Blanc, Staete Landt produces a Marlborough Syrah, Viognier, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. Toi Toi produces a Gisborne Chardonnay, Hawkes Bay Merlot, Central Otago Pinot Noir and Marlborough Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc.
All wines will be marketed in NZ through Toi Toi’s own direct sales force.
2020 is the first vintage from the merged companies and a few of their new releases are already available to the New Zealand market; with more to follow soon.
Background.
Toi Toi is the wine brand of Marlborough Wine Ltd which is owned by Kevin and Sara Joyce and their family.
Maasdam and his family arrived in NZ in 1996 and bought the land, developed the vineyard and started Staete Landt Wines in 1997. Ruud Maasdam has joined Marlborough Wine Ltd as the Brand Manager and Winemaker for Staete Landt and Map Maker.
Staete Landt’s name comes from the Dutchman Abel Tasman, the first European to discover and map NZ in 1642.