Treasury Wines Estates' latest Matua wines feature a temperature-sensitive label that indicates when the wine is cold enough to drink.
The labels, on the 2016 Matua Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and the upcoming Matua Rosé, use temperature sensitive ink technology to change colour when the bottle is chilled to optimal drinking temperature. Both a snowflake symbol and a traditional Maori ta moko symbol appear when the right temperature is reached.
Matua chief winemaker Greg Rowdon said the "Chill Check" innovation makes it simple for people to recognise the best temperature for the wines, without having to consult "a confusing table or chart".
Thermochromatic labels are already in use in other corners of the alcohol industry. MillerCoors' Coors Light beer has used a number of colour-changing innovations on its packaging, while last year, McCormick Distilling's Tequila Rose, a strawberry cream liqueur, unveiled new packaging with a logo that turns pink when chilled.
Adapting the technology, Molson Coors' Canadian unit last month launched Coors Light cans featuring sun-activated ink.
