The Expatrius name pays tribute to the rich global heritage of wines grown in New Zealand. Emigrants the world over have for centuries brought their culture, legacy and values with them as they embarked on great adventures and searched for new ways to express old traditions. Vines and wine-making techniques have travelled with them, giving new voices to vine stocks that have been around for millennia.
Eoin O'Shea explains the background to the brand: In the “Expatrius” brand, we look to honour and celebrate that heritage, while proudly adding what we hope is a uniquely New Zealand perspective.
The gold crest on the label invokes the tradition and heritage of past generations. The contemporary font looks to a modern New Zealand, with its creativity, hunger for innovation and optimism for the future. The crest bears the legend “Amor Patriae” or “Love of Country” as a testament to the enduring connection between emigrants and their home country, and to the new connections their children and the generations that follow forge with the country that is now their home.
On the crest you will see a date: “1857”. This is the date that the great, great grandparents of my wife first arrived in New Zealand. Captain Angus Matheseon and his wife Jessie, his brother Duncan and their extended families came to New Zealand via Nova Scotia as proud Scottish emigrants aboard the brigantine "Spray".
They landed on June 25th, 1857 at what would become later known as "Mathesons Bay" north of Auckland. You will also see the Chinese symbol “δΉ‘” (pronounced "xiang") on the circular emblem at the rear of the bottle. We lived for over 10 years in Hong Kong and this symbol is Chinese for "homeland" or "home town".