All about Australia
Australian labels are heavily investing in their marketing strategies - a tactic that has paid off in the Irish market where their star is firmly in the ascent. Gillian Hamill reports
Print9 August 2013
According to a report entitled the ‘Australian Wine and Grape Industry, 2011-12′, compiled by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 806,000 tonnes of red wine grapes were harvested in the 2012 season, a fall of 5% since 2010. There were 91,000 hectares of red wine vines (a fall of 3,000 hectares since 2010 or 4%), accounting for 62% of all vines planted in Australia.
The most popular varieties produced were Shiraz (almost half of total red wine production) at 362,000 tonnes (down 10% or 41,000 tonnes since 2010), Cabernet Sauvignon at 208,000 tonnes (down 3% or 6,000 tonnes) and Merlot at 117,000 tonnes (down by 12% or 13,000 tonnes).
Notable movements in other varieties included a 16% fall in production of Pinot Noir grapes (down to 35,000 tonnes), and a 17% rise in production of Tempranillo (up to 3,400 tonnes) accompanied by a 15% increase in area planted.
The report also showed that the production of white wine grapes increased nationally (up to 776,000 tonnes) in all Australian states except for Queensland and Tasmania, while the area planted to white wine grapevines fell in all states, contributing to an 8% fall nationally, down to 57,000 hectares since the 2010 season.
The top white wine varieties produced were Chardonnay (almost half of national white wine production) with 348,000 tonnes (up by 17% or 50,000 tonnes since 2010), Sauvignon Blanc with 81,000 tonnes (up by 13% or 10,000 tonnes) and Semillon with 78,000 tonnes (up by 2% or 1,000 tonnes). Notable increases in production for other varieties included Pinot Gris, up by 28% to 50,000 tonnes since 2010 and Muscat a Petit Grains Blanc (Frontignac) up by 125% to 12,000 tonnes.
The Jacob’s Creek Cool Harvest wines are produced by harvesting grapes during the coolest part of the night to retain as much freshness and flavour of the grape as possible
Deliberately crisp, light and delicate
Jacob’s Creek is one of Australia’s leading wine brands, offering quality contemporary Australian wine styles with great varietal expression. The brand was first launched in 1976 and is named after a creek that runs through the renowned Barossa Valley wine region in South Australia.
With a growing global trend towards lighter and fresher white wines, Jacob’s Creek has developed the Cool Harvest range of wines which represents a real step-change for the brand.
The new Jacob’s Creek Cool Harvest wines are produced by harvesting grapes at the coolest part of the night, retaining as much of the freshness and flavour of the natural grape as possible to give wines that are naturally crisp, light and delicate in style.
Chief winemaker Bernard Hickin explains: "While varietal character still underpins the clean fruit flavours in Jacob’s Creek Cool Harvest, the winemaking focus is more on freshness and vibrancy."
Launched in October 2013, Jacob’s Creek Cool Harvest range is now available in Ireland in all major retailers in three varietals:
• Sauvignon Blanc: Delightfully refreshing, showing a fine and zesty balance of passionfruit, lemongrass and citrus.
• Vermintino: A fresh and light palate with lemon citrus carrying through to subtle honeysuckle.
• Shiraz Rosé: Fresh flavours of summer strawberries, with a soft and delicate spiciness in the background.
Enticing choices from Barry & Fitzwilliam
The great Thomas Hardy legacy lives on in this the 160th anniversary of Hardys Wines. Quality, flavour and character remain the cornerstones of its contemporary wines while respect for the Hardy family history ensures the wines benefit from the lessons of long tradition. One hundred and sixty years after its inception in South Australia, Hardys is a major player in the world of wine. The Hardys label can be found in more than 80 countries around the globe. Currently, Hardys carries the title of ‘Most Powerful Australian Wine Brand’ globally and is consistently ranked amongst the top five ‘Most Powerful Global Wine Brands’. The wine is distributed by Barry & Fitzwilliam.
McGuigan wines continue to outperform the market. According to a recent report, McGuigan is now the number one wine brand in the off-trade. The Black Label range comprises of a Cabernet/Merlot, Shiraz, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Rosé as well as McGuigan Black Label Sparkling Chardonnay and Sparkling Rosé. Distributor, Barry & Fitzwilliam says the range will have strong above-the-line marketing support for the summer particularly in the national press with a major emphasis on Neil McGuigan’s award at the 2012 IWSC awards as "the Best White Winemaker in the world" for the third time.
Number one in Ireland
International Winemaker of the Year, McGuigan Wines, has continued its global sales success and been confirmed as the number one selling wine brand in Ireland.*
Entering the market as one of the first exporting nations for the brand back in 1992, McGuigan has continued to grow in popularity in Ireland, quickly establishing itself as one of the country’s favourite wines.
It’s been a significant 12 months for the McGuigan team after setting themselves the task to become the market leader in Ireland.
It started with Neil McGuigan winning IWSC Winemaker of the Year 2012 for the third time, an incredible achievement. This was followed by the installation of the hugely successful McGuigan City Vineyard in Dublin in September last year, where a living, breathing vineyard was brought to the heart of the city.
Now the company’s hard work has been rewarded as it achieved its goal of becoming the leading supplier of wine in the Irish market, overtaking the previous leader, Blossom Hill.
McGuigan Wines chief winemaker Neil McGuigan said: "This is wonderful news. Following on from my bold statement made last year during Dublin City Vineyard that we would become number one in Ireland, it is fantastic to have realised this goal through the support of our trading partners Barry & Fitzwilliam.
"This is fantastic news for the Australian wine industry as a whole and continues the recent successes seen by McGuigan over the past 12 months. Our status as the number one brand in Ireland and our move up to the number seven brand in the UK, alongside our continued success at major international wine competitions is a real credit to the dedication and commitment of our vineyard, winemaking and production teams in driving quality, consistency and innovation all over the world. Our continued investment and support in the market through initiatives such as the McGuigan City Vineyard, have made this achievement possible, against adverse market conditions."
With this major goal achieved, McGuigan Wines now plans to continue its UK investment and support to further engage consumers with the likes of its continued association with John Torode and its commitment to food and wine matching.
In Australia the McGuigan brand continues to go from strength to strength, outperforming rival wine brands with 41.0% value growth year-on-year.
*(Source: Nielsen data to March 2013 relating to off-trade figures – excluding Dunnes and discounters)
Yellow Tail is ranked number 37 in the top 100 wine and spirits brands globally
Adding a splash of colour
Yellow Tail, the family-owned Australian wine brand which is a well-loved household name in Ireland, last year celebrated its tenth year in business. In just a decade, the brand has experienced astonishing growth and over two million glasses of Yellow Tail wine are now enjoyed around the world every single day. From its small, humble beginnings, it has grown to be one of the world’s leading and most recognisable wine brands.
100% owned by the Casella family, Yellow Tail was launched in 2001 and is today exported to over 40 countries. Featuring a distinctive yellow footed rock wallaby on the label, the brand has grown from 500,000 cases in 2001 to today being close to 12 million cases.
Ranked as the most powerful Australian wine brand in the world and number 37 in the top 100 wine and spirits brands globally*, Yellow Tail recently invested €150,000 in an integrated marketing campaign within the Irish market, to promote its extensive range of everyday wines. This new brand campaign, titled ‘Colour in your Life’ was developed to encourage consumers to add a splash of colour to their day with Yellow Tail’s range of award winning vibrant and colourful wines.
As Ireland’s fastest growing Australian wine brand, Yellow Tail’s philosophy has always been about the enjoyment and fun side of drinking wine. The labels on Yellow Tail bottles are colourful and fun, with casual and easy to understand language and the wine itself is about enjoying good taste and great times.
When it comes to wine, Yellow Tail likes to make its own rules – from its every day range of wines to its Reserve range, the only thing the brand says it won’t compromise on is quality and who can argue with that!
For more information, visit www.yellowtailwine.com or www.facebook.com/yellowtail.
*(Source: The Power 100 report by British Consultancy Intangible Business)
Reconnect with Rosemount
Rosemount is inviting everyone who has forgotten just how good Rosemount is to reconnect, with both the important things in life and with Rosemount.
Rosemount is the perfect wine for every occasion. A premium quality wine that over delivers at every level allowing consumers to reconnect with the ones closest to you, reliving old memories and creating new ones.
Since 1974, Rosemount has been one of Australia’s leading wineries, producing wines that reflect the riches of the Australian climate and a dedication to quality, innovation and style. The Rosemount range has a fresh new look with new packaging appearing across the range.
In true Rosemount style, the ‘Blends’ range features blended varieties from multiple regions, woven together to make an approachable, flavoursome ‘drink now’ style of wine that offers great value. This range is already picking up awards across Europe with the 2011 Shiraz-Cabernet blend scooping a gold medal at Bruxelles Concours Mondial. The Rosemount Blends range offers an accessible interpretation of the Rosemount style and is created to delight – every day of the week.
The new look Rosemount Diamond Label offers single varieties from multiple regions and represents the heart of the Rosemount Estate, a premium wine at great value. Stylish and sophisticated, these wines display the fruit forward, easy-drinking sensibilities which make them delicious from the first sip to the final drop.
Despite the new look for Rosemount Estate, one attribute that has remained consistent is the wine style, says Matt Koch, Rosemount estate chief winemaker for almost 20 years: "Rosemount Estate has built a reputation for producing a wine style that’s vibrant, fruit forward and has a luscious mouth feel. It came about because of an entrepreneurial attitude and has remained that way since the first vintage in 1974."
Related Articles
I’m with the brand: Aaron Mulligan, brand ambassador for Diplomatico Rum →
Harley & Marley unveils Ireland’s first sustainable fish pet food →
Milish Bakery secures multi-million euro deal with M&S →
Fans 0
Followers