Here’s an airline that wine lovers will want to toast.
Invivo, the New Zealand wine company that’s backed by A-list celebrities Sarah Jessica Parker and Graham Norton, is launching an airline this year.
Invivo Air, which promises to be ‘like other airlines, only with better wine’, will fly a set route from Auckland to Queenstown.
Invivo, the New Zealand wine company that’s backed by Sarah Jessica Parker (pictured) and Graham Norton, is launching an airline this year
Invivo Air promises to be ‘like other airlines, only with better wine’. Pictured are company founders Rob Cameron (left) and Tim Lightbourne (right)
‘Welcome to Invivo Air, where it’s business class in every glass,’ reads the airline’s motto.
Passengers will board a chartered 34-seater Swedish-built Saab plane in Auckland for the airline’s inaugural flight in early 2022.
Priority for seats on the maiden voyage will be given to Auckland hospitality and tourism staff who were affected by the lockdown and members of the public who haven’t seen their family or friends due to New Zealand’s Covid restrictions, as well as shareholders.
The flight itself will last just two hours, but passengers can look forward to 24 hours of ‘special experiences’ in Queenstown.
Invivo first worked with chat show host Graham, pictured, in 2014, producing a sauvignon blanc with him
The TV personality’s collection of wines have been awarded over 200 accolades
Guests will board a chartered 34-seater Swedish-built Saab plane in Auckland, pictured, for Invivo Air’s inaugural flight in early 2022
A stay at The Hilton Queenstown and a trip to Invivo’s winegrowers in the country’s Central Otago region will be part of the wine-fuelled itinerary.
Invivo was founded by Tim Lightbourne and Rob Cameron in 2008, and has since become ‘one of New Zealand’s leading producers’.
Ahead of the launch of the new airline, Tim said: ‘It’s been a tough period of time, particularly for our bars and restaurant customers in both the North and South Island heavily reliant on local tourism. Running a flight to the South Island is a way that we can show the public the country is open again for domestic tourism, and at the same time support some of those who have had a particularly tough time of it.
‘We are not ruling out further flights to other New Zealand destinations as well.’
He added in an interview with CNN that Parker and Norton might appear on one of the flights at some point.
The flight will last just two hours, but passengers can look forward to 24 hours of ‘special experiences’ in Queenstown (pictured)
The brand’s collaboration with chat-show host Norton began in 2014, when it worked with him to produce a sauvignon blanc.
His collection of Invivo wines has since expanded to include South Australian shiraz, New Zealand rosé, Italian prosecco, and rosé prosecco. Plus, it’s been awarded over 200 accolades and is served in Qantas business class cabins.
He makes two types of gin with Invivo, too.
In 2019, Invivo teamed up with Sex and the City star Parker to launch ‘Invivo X’ sauvignon blanc and rose, which have now garnered more than 50 awards.
Parker is on the board of Invivo USA, and the ‘X’ on the wine label represents her signature Instagram sign-off, ‘X, SJ’ . The label’s ‘X’ was hand-painted by Parker.
In 2019, Invivo collaborated with Sex and the City star Parker to launch ‘Invivo X’
Parker is on the board of Invivo USA, and the ‘X’ on the wine label represents her signature Instagram sign-off, ‘X, SJ’
After unveiling her third vintage of sauvignon blanc with the brand last September, the actress told Dailymail.com: ‘We always like to try new things, but with this vintage, we decided to blend multiple samples together into one and ended up with a creation that is incredibly unique, but still very much a sauvignon blanc at heart.’
Parker added: ‘I’ve been proud of all of our creations, but the notes in this one are spectacular. I’m proud of our Invivo family and excited to bring this vintage to life and share it with our fans.’
Both celebrities are involved in the wine blending, which is the last stage of the winemaking process that sees winemakers combine different wines from various estates to create one ultimate blend that brings out the best characteristics of the grape.
For more information visit invivoair.com.
