May 15: A case was always there for half bottles in India and many producers introduced them while importers are also sourcing them increasingly but the recent success of Brangelina Provence Rose by COOP in London suggests that there is also a market for the 500 mL sized bottles for wines selling for over Rs. 1000 a bottle in India to increase consumption as it is an ideal size for two people drinking healthy portion or finishing one bottle within 2 days, opines Subhash Arora
Fratelli just won a Gold Medal for its M/S Sangiovese Rose in Sommelier Wine Awards London-first time for an Indian wine to be awarded the high, respected category by sommeliers and wine professionals of UK. That should help its sales even in India-especially since the Provence-like colour is attractive.
But at Rs. 1170, may consumers would find it tad too expensive for a Rose. Imagine, if the company had also brought out a 500 mL bottle at Rs. 800 a bottle! It would certainly find an increased demand. Even I would go and buy a bottle of this high quality wine for that price and perhaps split it with my wife at dinner in the house in Delhi’s heat-it’s a no brainer that it would enhance the quality of even an Indian meal –vegetarian or non-vegetarian.
If Fratelli were looking at a successful example, they should check out the new popular product Studio by Miraval through their distributor Liberty Wines in London which may even show an interest in the product and be the first to import a 500 mL bottled wine. T he convenience retailer Co-Op of London had got the Miraval Rose from Brangelina (The Brad Pitt and Angeline Jolie union) from their Chateau de Miraval, produced exclusively for them in 500 mL bottles and labelled as Studio by Miraval and are selling it successfully since January this year.
Made by producer Famille Perrin (Marc Perrin is the winemaker), it was soft-launched in the store in February and is now being stocked exclusively in 469 stores, retailing for £12.00, with the original Miraval Rosé 2018 listed only in 151 stores and priced at £17.00.
Senior buyer Gyles Walker told db at at press tasting last week that the lower price point of the new wine, compared to the original Miraval, made it more accessible for more customers. Category trading manager Simon Cairns said it was a real coup for the retailer. The exclusivity gives them a natural edge over others selling it only in the standard 750 mL packing. “With Provencal Rose, the prices are now quite high and out of budget, so we have introduced a 50cl to keep the price affordable at £8.25,” he said.
Ten new rosés have been added to the line-up, Walker said, predominantly following the pale, dry, Provencal wine style, although some of the new additions were sourced from other European regions in order to cater for a number of different price points. Perhaps, the medal could help Fratelli M/S Rose (a winemaking joint venture between the Italian Piero Masi and the world-famous Brit Steven Spurrier) retail even through Co-Op.
“It does two things – it provides a solution for mid-week sharing, a perfect two glass and a top-up for a couple offering good quality wine and is affordable at £8. A Provence rose would be £10-12 a full bottle, but this allows customers to keep these wines in their repertoire, and offers others the opportunity to trade up if they can’t quite afford the full bottle,” says Walker.
“It’s an exciting time in the industry – we’re seeing new format ideas coming through, we’re replicating that and want people to have relationship with wine so we can tap into those trends,” he adds, according to the Report in db.
Of course, the idea can be tried out by other producers as well. How about Grover Zampa, on an innovative and creative spree, to consider the La Reserve or VA collection in this format or Sula toying with their Source Rose? Or their Rasa Range. It would be perfect for KRSMA K2 or even York Arroz.
The idea would be to increase the sales off-trade and on trade; due to increasingly higher costs people avoid ordering wines and at times erroneously feel that half-bottles mean cheaper quality. 500 mL could resolve that problem to quite an extent and help people trade up.
Subhash Arora
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