Market Watch, September 2018
54 MARKET WATCH MARKETWATCHMAG COM SEPTEMBER 2018PHOTO BY MICHAEL PIAZZAthat will change anytime soon because the New Zealand expression of Sauvignon Blanc is unique and unmatched anywhere else in the world Certainly New Zealand can produce other varietals at a high quality level but none as distinctive as Sauvignon Blanc Angela Slade vice president of brand strategy and communi cations at Pacific Highway Wines Spirits says the Giesen Estate Sauvignon Blanc is the chief volume driver for the New Zealand brand Thats fine for now the brand is growing as demand for Sauvignon Blanc continues to rise in the U S market but its also cause for examination Im always looking at it as do we have all our eggs in one basket Slade says Thats what we look to mitigate in terms of category balance and with that in mind were playing in different spaces I would hope the U S consumer starts to elevate and move up that ladder with us Like many producers Nigel Avery CEO of Sileni Estates sees the Sauvignon Blanc demand as a huge opportunity that should be embraced Youve got to make hay while the sun shines he says But he and others hope to increase consumer interest in other varietals as well I think its about finding little niches of excitement for the other varietals Avery adds Pinot Noir Rosé And MoreOther varietals do play an important role in New Zealands wine mix even with Sauvignon Blancs dominant perch Most players in the U S market have a Sauvignon Blanc and maybe a Pinot Noir Avery says We consider ourselves extremely fortunate in that we have two quality levels of Sauvignon Blanc two quality levels of Pinot Noir a Pinot Gris and a Chardonnay They clearly play second fiddle to TOP SIX NEW ZEALAND WINE BRANDS IN THE U S thousands of 9 liter case depletions Percent AACGR1 Change2 Rank Brand Importer 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 12 17 16 17 1 Kim Crawford Constellation Brands 557 685 815 955 1150 1265 178 100 2 Oyster Bay Oyster Bay Wines USA 391 468 549 629 711 800 154 124 3 Nobilo Constellation Brands 354 426 500 560 615 620 119 08 4 Starborough E J Gallo Winery 215 245 310 375 420 445 157 60 5 Matua Valley Treasury Wine Estates Americas 129 176 267 316 353 430 272 217 6 Brancott Estate Pernod Ricard USA 158 179 201 222 235 232 80 15 Total Top Six3 1805 2179 2641 3056 3485 3792 160 88 1 Average annual compound growth rate2 Based on unrounded data3 Addition of columns may not agree due to rounding Source IMPACT DATABANK 2018TOP SIX NEW ZEALAND WINE BRANDSIN THE U S share of 2017 market 5 million 9 liter cases 100 Source IMPACT DATABANK 2018Kim Crawford25 BrancottEstate 5 Matua Valley9 Other Brands24 Starborough 9 Nobilo 12 Oyster Bay16 Himmel Hospitality Groups Brahm Callahan above says he prefers Chardonnay from New Zealand to the ever popular Sauvignon Blanc
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