British wine supplier Accolade Wines has announced that its Mud House Wines brand is now an official sponsor of the 2017 British & Irish Lions tour of New Zealand.
Speaking at a press conference on 9 March, Accolade Wines CEO Paul Schaafsma commented, "We are extremely excited to be part of the next British & Irish Lions Tour in New Zealand. A Lions tour is huge, especially one hosted by the World Champions."
Schaafsma went on to thank All Black skipper Sean Fitzpatrick and English former winger Jason Robinson for supporting the sponsorship as Mud House brand ambassadors.
"We’ll be working closely with the British & Irish Lions to activate a £2-million support campaign here in the UK, and the team in New Zealand will activate our partnership on the ground ahead of the tour next June," Schaafsma said.
British & Irish Lions chief operating officer Charlie McEwen commented, "We are delighted to partner with Mud House Wines as an official sponsor and wine supplier.
"Accolade Wines are the premier wine supplier in the UK, and to have a quality New Zealand wine such as Mud House is fantastic."
The news comes as Accolade Wines also confirms sponsorship of all Southern Hemisphere rugby being broadcast on Sky Sports UK throughout 2016, including the Rugby Championship, the Mitre 10 Cup in New Zealand, and the Currie Cup in South Africa.
To support the Sky Sports sponsorship, the brand has filmed a set of new Mud House idents. These also feature Fitzpatrick and Robinson, as well as Gavin Hastings from Scotland, Shane Williams from Wales, and Paul Wallace from Ireland, along with the strapline 'Rugby and Wine – It’s as clear as Mud'.
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Jenny Whelan. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
