| The product has already reached the US shores and is under customs clearance. It is expected to be available in stores from September 1. It will be the 17th label added to the existing range of Yellow Tail wines.
In the first instance, the company has introduced the red variant, made from Shiraz grapes with a minor proportion of Pinot Grigio, giving it an interesting flavour and slightly lower alcohol level of around 11.5%. Some flavours are added to it along with brandy flavours. The bi-lingual back label in English and Spanish would recommend it to be taken chilled.
The white version will also be released in about 6 months’ time. Although the first one would be based on Pinot Grigio as perhaps the winery already has enough stocks, one or two more variants will be added, according to Travis Fuller, who says that John Casella, the owner, is extremely excited about the flavours and is spending a lot of time to enhance them till they are tweaked to perfection.
‘We have high hopes for this launch. John Casella believes that Yellow Tail being the first to market and with a superior flavour profile expected by the brand, this will be embraced by consumers.
Yellow tail is a strong brand with consumers and is known for being fun and for breaking the rules. It is the perfect brand to introduce Sangria to a broader market', Travis Fuller, Senior Brand Manager Casella Wines, informs delWine.
The US is the biggest importer at 8.5 million cases for the 12 million-case company. It is natural that the first launch be in the US. Japanese buyers are also waiting excitedly for the product which would be targeted towards Retail as the online trade prefers to make their own cocktail based on the cheapest house wine - the classic way of producing the summer drink.
The product is expected to be marketed at the same price as the other wines in the Yellow Tail stable. ‘They are after all, nothing but the regular Yellow Tail wines that have a few additives,’ says Fuller, estimating that about 98% ingredients would be wine of the same quality as Yellow Tail. He says that the company would recommend the product to be consumed as such but the customer will be encouraged to experiment and make any other blend to his or her taste including adding ice to reduce the sweetness level. Younger people are more likely to be the buyers apart from Hispanics.
‘This is the first commercial launch of a quality Sangria outside of Spain. It is crafted to be enjoyed on its own, chilled, or just add soda water, lemonade or sparkling wine with fruit for your own flavour,’ says Travis.
The company is expecting to export a million cases of Sangria but the total budgeted sales are around 9 million cases this year due to the attrition in the sales of a few traditional labels like Chardonnay etc. due to increasing competition. Even Moscato that was introduced a couple of years ago, primarily for the women of 30-40 years of age, could not reach the expected level of 1 million cases due to the ensuing competition.
Although the Yellow Tail wines are being imported by the Mumbai-based Berkmann India, it is unlikely that the Sangria would find a respectable market in India. Due to high taxes, it would be cheaper to make your own by using perhaps half the wine and the balance made of sparkling wine, soda or even fruits, as is the traditional norm.
Subhash Arora
Tags: Casella, Aussie, Sangria, Yellow Tail, Travis Fuller, John Casella, Berkmann India |