GROW
A Fresh Awakening
Giesen Wines
Reframing Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc SOPHIE PREECE
MARLBOROUGH SAUVIGNON Blanc has fallen into the safe but “boring” category among Australian wine consumers, stifling its stellar sales figures. However, a new positioning promises “a fresh awakening”, with potential for a $100 million boost to Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc sales across the Tasman by 2022, based on an additional $1 per bottle sold. Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc remains Australia’s most consumed wine at home, capturing 40% of those wine drinkers every month. But 10% are drinking less Marlborough Sauvignon than they were a year ago, according to research done through Project Veraison, an initiative led by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE), in partnership with Giesen Wines and Villa Maria. Meanwhile, 85% to 90% of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is sold on promotion by Australian retailers and 12% of consumers think it’s “boring”, says project leader Catherine Wansink, a commercial business advisor at NZTE. “It is very consistent and people know what they are getting… That’s part of its success and also part of its downfall.” In 2019, Project Veraison took a “deep dive” into category data and spoke to retailers and consumers, including lapsed Sauvignon Blanc drinkers, to better understand the enthusiasm – or waning energy – for a category deemed dependable, but not innovative. “In an era of ever evolving choices and stimulating new flavours, Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is seen to offer nothing new,” Catherine told attendees at a recent industry webinar. In even harsher terms, one former fan interviewed said “Sav Blanc just seems a bit ordinary or yesterday”. 12 / Winepress May 2021
“Twelve percent of Australian wine drinkers say they are feeling bored or uninspired with the category.” Project Veraison Another important finding of the work, conducted throughout 2019, was the disconnect between Marlborough the place and Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc the wine, says Catherine. They also recognised opportunity to better tell the story of diversity in the category. “It’s not all the one same white wine.” She says there’s plenty to be said about the different subregions, styles and quality tiers amid Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, “but that story wasn’t getting through to the consumer”. That represents an “amazing opportunity”, she says. “Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc has all the right notes to ride this change.” She says one of the drivers of the project was wine companies’ concerns over “deep discounting” in the retail market. Promotional cycles see one of the major producers always on promotion, down to $10 per bottle or less, “and therefore those brands became interchangeable”, says Catherine. That was backed up by consumer research, which indicated buyers had a repertoire of three or four brands they would switch between, depending on the discount. Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc’s brand equity is being “undermined by deep discounting and overfamiliar consumers, leading to a decline in overall value”, says Catherine. However, the various challenges offer “a burning platform for change”, with opportunity to accelerate the
