Summer wines
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38 CATEGORY FOCUS Summer wines
Sipping in the sun
Wine goes hand in hand with summer evenings outdoors. With a 27% market share of the alcoholic drinks market, wine remains Ireland’s second-most-popular beverage,* and now that we’ve been blessed with warm weather, wine will be at the top of many consumers’ shopping lists
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ow that more people are entertaining from home, wine cocktails have been forecast to make a splash this summer. From spritzers to sparkling drinks, wine cocktails are a lighter alternative to traditional cocktails. Vegan wines are another trend to watch this summer. Animal derived ingredients are used in wine production across the globe.
Substituting these for plant-based alternatives opens the category up to those following the diet. Meanwhile, wine in a can is sure to catch the eye of those looking for a greener, on-the-go alternative. Supermarkets in the US and UK have already hopped on the trend and enjoyed healthy sales growth in return. *(Source: Drinks Ireland|Wine 2019: ‘Irish Wine Market Report’)
Fizz the summer season! Blossom Hill Gin Fizz is a sparkling blend of crisp white wine, botanical infused water, and a dash of gin, and is available in two flavours – Lemon & Rosemary, and Rhubarb. At 8.5% ABV, Gin Fizz should be poured over ice and served with a simple garnish. First launched into the Irish
At 8.5% ABV, Blossom Hill Gin Fizz aims to tap into the growing gin trend and has achieved strong sales since launch
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with Michelle O Sullivan, off-trade director, Findlater & Co
Q: How have consumers responded to the ‘19 Crimes’ labels which tell a story using an augmented reality app? Has this innovative labelling helped drive sales and how important are the additional benefits offered such as improving in-store theatre? A: Guilty of being named the World’s Most Admired Wine Brand 2020 by Drinks International, 19 Crimes is a wine that shares the history of the infamous people who founded the land where its grapes are now grown. It highlights the plight of 165,000 convicts who made the long voyage by sea to Australia between 1788 and 1868, as punishment for committing one of 19 crimes. 19 crimes wanted to bring the stories to life with a fun and intriguing twist to the standard wine tasting experience. To do this, we developed an interactive app which animates the 19 Crimes convicts’ infamous true stories. To grow awareness of the brand and the concept of the interactive labels, there was a PR drop to key influencers. This was extremely successful with everyone loving the twist on their standard drinking occasion and something new to bring to the experience. On the back of this success, we partnered with SuperValu to create a bespoke retail pack for Father’s Day which was criminally successful! With so much choice available, it is vital to improve and build on the in-store experience by adding something that stands out. The combination of awareness and something unique in the market brought not only a positive sales boost but a new cohort of customers seeking that unique gift and experience. We suspect it will become a firm favourite with plenty of fingerprints to prove it!
ShelfLife July 2020 | www.shelflife.ie
Q: With the launch of the new Blossom Hill Gin Fizz brand, why did you decide the time was right to enter the RTD category? A: The big increase in rosé sales over the last few years has fed into the potential for this new category. The explosion in recent years in the traditional gin category has bought new younger consumers into gin, but we felt that it was still dominated by old-fashioned brands who spoke in a very outdated way. This left a gap in the market for a brand and a product that relates to the younger female gin consumer. The 75cl bottle lends itself to the same occasion as prosecco, a group sharing experience whilst the smaller can format is perfect for an on-the-go summer occasion such as festivals (even if they are happening in your back garden!) and of course picnics. Consumers are looking for products that fit into their lifestyle and Blossom Hill Gin Fizz is right up their street!
Q: How do you intend to capitalize on the wellestablished Blossom Hill brand to attract new consumers to the wine market with a canned product? A: What’s available to consumers in cans has been dominated by old-fashioned brands. There has been a lot of noise around so called ‘hard seltzers’ in recent months, but what we feel is that consumers are moving back to brands that they know and trust, not just in drinks but in all of their purchase decisions. Blossom Hill Gin Fizz offers brand reassurance on many levels. Blossom Hill is known for great quality wines that appeal to the consumer without any of the traditional wine “fuddy-duddiness”. Gin Fizz capitalises on this with gin being the strongest trend in alcohol in the
last five years. All of this is then wrapped up in a great ready-to-drink package.
Q: What are the major benefits of organic wines?
Michelle O Sullivan
A: Like many organic products, be it carrots or bread, the major benefits tend to be from an agricultural point of view. There are no chemicals used in the farming of the grapes for these products and as such it is much better for the environment and for the ecosystem of where the grapes are grown. In general, there is a big move towards consumers being more concerned about what they are putting in their bodies and given the choice, I think most would choose to consume products that haven’t had chemicals used in their production. I would love to say that organic wines give you less of a hangover, but the science doesn’t back that up quite yet! Moderation is still the best way so far!
Q: How significantly have organic wine sales grown in recent years in Ireland? How do you intend to increase consumers’ knowledge about organic wines and drive category sales further? A: Anecdotally, organic wine sales are in massive growth but realistically this is from a very low base. From a merchandising point of view, we are seeing a huge increase in aisles of health food with an organic or free-from focus and wine, while a little bit behind, will move in the same direction. The consumer education piece tends to be based in the on-trade where there is the ability to tell the story of
