Market Watch, April 2018

40 MARKET WATCH MARKETWATCHMAG COM APRIL 2018brands range last summer with Sweet Red Sweet Rosé Sparkling Moscato and Prosecco DOC wines in an effort to broaden Castello del Poggios appeal Palm Bay Internationals Roscato similarly extended its lineup in 2016 with the addition of a Prosecco a sparkling Moscato and a sparkling sweet red wine Those new labels helped spur the brand to an increase of 25 to 810000 cases last year French imports have rebounded in the U S market in recent years led largely by brands with rosé forward portfolios Among the leaders is Vineyard Brands Rhône based La Vieille Ferme which soared by 25 in 2017 to 447000 cases La Vieille Ferme is by far our largest brand in terms of volume says Greg ory Doody president and CEO at Vineyard Brands Doody cred its the rosé offshoot with driving much of the brands recent progress Our rosé is huge its well outpacing the brands red and white wines he says adding that La Vieille Fermes rosé is currently the largest selling imported rosé in the U S Rosé expressions have also led Hot Brand newcomers Château dEsclans M Chapoutier and Barton Guestier to a wide audience Shaw Ross Internationals Château dEsclans jumped 575 last year to 315000 cases driven by Whispering Angel rosé The brand was instrumental in reigniting the French rosé category in the U S and at 20 22 a 750 ml for the core Whispering Angel its also among the more upscale imported wine Hot Brands on the list Looking ahead the company is betting big on its higher end offering Rock Angel 30 35 which is expected to help drive premiumization for the Château dEsclans franchise over the next few years M Chapoutier imported by Terlato Wines International reached 225000 cases last year on growth of 125 boosted by its Côtes du Rhône and Tavel rosés In 2016 the winery expanded in the rosé category with the purchase of the Château des Ferrages estate in Provence which includes 67 acres of vine yards in the Côtes de Provence and Côtes de Provence Sainte Victoire appellations Meanwhile Barton Guestier USAs namesake brand climbed 333 last year hitting 200000 cases The brand whose Côtes de Provence rosé has soared in the U S recently extended its range with entry level Bordeaux and Pinot Noir offerings in an effort to tap into momentum in those categories and promote further growth The Languedoc based Gérard Bertrand brand saw growth of 458 last year cresting 350000 cases Growth was in large part bolstered by heightened consumer awareness of the French region which Bertrand himself has long advocated for and promoted New Zealand boasts four Hot Brand labels this year even after former honorees Starborough and Nobilo fell from the list Constellations Kim Crawford rose 10 to 13 million cases in 2017 Growth was driven largely by the brands core Sauvignon Blanc whose production is at around 12 million cases Constel lation is currently looking to broaden the brands horizons by increasing focus on other expressions among them a rosé that launched early last year Wed been making rosé locally and sell ing domestically in New Zealand for quite a few years says Kim Crawford winemaker Anthony Walkenhorst Given the current popularity of rosé expressions we saw an opportunity to launch the wine in North America Walkenhorst is also bullish on the potential of New Zealand Chardonnay which will have a more important role in the Kim Crawford portfolio moving forward Elsewhere in the New Zealand category Oyster Bay Wines USAs flagship brand has become the fifth largest imported wine Hot Brand with volume up 124 to 800000 cases last year While E J Gallos Starborough label no longer has Hot Brand status the companys super premium Whitehaven brand led by Sauvignon Blanc made the list with 25 growth in 2017 to 225000 cases Treasury Wine Estates TWE Matua 12 a 750 ml whose key varietal is also Sauvignon Blanc surpassed the 400000 case mark in 2017 Last summer Matua unveiled intuitive thermographic labels when a bottle is properly chilled a large snowflake appears and the labels Maori symbol darkens staying that way for up to 45 minutes TWE also imports the sole Hot Brand from Australia 19 Crimes which is the star performer of the companys portfolio according to chief executive Michael Clarke It surpassed 1 million cases last year more than doubling in size The millennial focused brand debuted an augmented real ity app last summer that tells the tales of the three 18th century convicts turned colonists who adorn the brands bottles Rounding out this years imported wine Hot Brands list are Latitude Beverage Co s 90 Cellars and newcomer Beso del Sol brought to the U S by Park Street Imports 90 Cellars does most of its business at the 12 25 price tier though more ultra premium offerings are available through the brands Collectors Series which features prestige Barolos and Barbarescos among other wines Beso del Sol a Spanish sangria recorded growth of nearly 40 in 2017 rising to 208000 cases driven by national on premise accounts and the supermarket channel The brand includes both red and white sangrias retail priced at around 20 a 3 liter box with a 15 liter bottle format also available for the red variant mwBARTON GUESTIER 2013 2017 thousands of 9 liter case depletions Calendar YearsSource IMPACT DATABANK 2018 10012515017520020172016201520142013MW0418_