Air New Zealand Launching Wine Label, Thirteen Forty Five

Air New Zealand is undertaking a unique initiative, which is cute… I think?

Air New Zealand’s Thirteen Forty Five wine label

Air New Zealand has announced that it’s getting into the world of winemaking. The Star Alliance airline will launch a wine label named Thirteen Forty Five, with the name paying tribute to the airline’s inaugural flight from Auckland to Sydney, which covered a distance of 1,345 miles. This happened back in 1940, and was operated by predecessor TEAL (Tasman Empire Airways Limited), and kicked off a new era of connectivity in the region.

The wine will be available exclusively to Air New Zealand customers, to be enjoyed in the air or on the ground. As of March 2025, it will be available in business class and premium economy, in Air New Zealand lounges, in the Airpoints Store, and for a limited time, during Koru Hour on select domestic flights.

The airline will initially offer a signature sauvignon blanc and pinot noir. The wine is created in partnership with New Zealand wine producer Villa Maria, part of Indevin Group. The airline claims that the wine has been crafted with special attention to how flavors are experienced at altitude.

Here’s how Air New Zealand’s General Manager of Customer Experience, Kylie McGillivray-Brown, describes this development:

“This wasn’t about simply putting our label on a bottle – we’ve collaborated with Indevin’s world-class winemakers to craft these unique blends, creating an exclusive experience for our customers, whether they’re savouring it at 30,000 feet alongside our thoughtfully-curated menu, or in our lounges.”

“Each pour will be a toast to the journeys that have connected New Zealanders with each other and New Zealand to the world. From Waiheke Island to Central Otago, it’s a privilege to showcase the very best of New Zealand winemaking and share it with the world.”

What’s Air New Zealand’s real motivation for this?

Air New Zealand is hardly the first airline to create its own alcoholic beverage, so there’s a precedent for this. For example, Alaska serves a custom, co-branded craft beer that’s brewed by Seattle-based Fremont Brewing, named “Cloud Cruiser.”

I don’t think it’s still the case, but back in the day, British Airways had its own custom gin, created in partnership with Cambridge Distillery, which was exclusively available in first class and the Concorde Room.

Presumably Air New Zealand introducing its own wine is either intended as a marketing exercise, as a cost cutting initiative, or a little of both.

In theory, I can understand how this is cute marketing. However, I can’t help but feel like this kind of takes away some of the spotlight from New Zealand’s wine producers. Air New Zealand does a great job serving wines from its home country, and showcasing brands that foreign visitors might not otherwise be that familiar with.

By creating a wine label that the public generally can’t even buy, it seems like that would harm awareness of other brands in New Zealand (unless the branding and partnership with Villa Maria is very obvious).

I could also see this initiative leading to cost savings. Some airlines invest a lot of money in wine, and perception of the quality of wine isn’t just based on taste, but also on cost (it shouldn’t be that way, but it is). By creating a wine label that’s not otherwise for sale to the public, it sure seems like Air New Zealand could save some money there. In fairness, New Zealand does a pretty good job with producing tasty and reasonably priced wine.

Bottom line

Air New Zealand is launching its own wine label, named Thirteen Forty Five, and created in partnership with Villa Maria. With this, a sauvignon blanc and pinot noir will be available to customers onboard flights and in lounges. It’s interesting to see an airline create its own wine label, especially one in a country that’s so known for its wine.

What do you make of Air New Zealand creating its own wine label?