Winemaker to sponsor Volvo race stopover
The round-the-world yachts are due in Auckland early next March for 10 days.
French wine giant Pernod Ricard is lifting the profile of its Stoneleigh brand with another major sponsorship.
Already the sole wine sponsor of the Rugby World Cup 2011 under the Brancott Estate label that replaced Montana, Pernod Ricard is now the official port sponsor of the Auckland stopover for the 2011/12 Volvo Ocean race.
It’s 10 years since the round-the-world yachts were last in Auckland.
Stopover director Tom Mayo and Stoneleigh winemaker Jamie Marfell unveiled the Volvo Ocean Race trophy at the announcement in Auckland today.
The seven competing yachts will leave Alicante, Spain, on October 29 and are expected to reach Auckland around March 8 or 9 next year.
Other stopovers are in Cape Town, Abu Dhabi, Sanya (China), Itajai (Brazil), Miami, Lisbon and Lorient (France) before finishing in Galway, Ireland.
The sponsorship for the 10-day stopover will transform Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour into a race village called Latitude Island, named after Stoneleigh’s new label of premium wines.
The village will feature a pop-up wine bar and entertainment hub, including an events stage, live music and large screens, while the Viaduct Events Centre will be race headquarters for the duration of the stopover.
Nevil Gibson
Fri, 30 Sep 2011
Fri, 30 Sep 2011
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Winemaker to sponsor Volvo race stopover
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