Category: Wine Marketing

Demand for New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc causes strong export growth

Soaring demand for New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc allowed the country’s wine producers to increase exports by 25% in the past year.

Strong export value and increasing international demand will help support further export growth over the next 12 months, despite a challenging season and a smaller harvest than last year, reports New Zealand Winegrowers.

The total value of the New Zealand wine industry exports (year to May 2023) was $2.4 billion, up 25% on 2022.

“Reaching another new record level of wine exports into some of the world’s largest and most competitive markets is an outstanding achievement for New Zealand wine exporters, and testifies to the increasingly strong global demand for our wines,” says Philip Gregan, CEO of New Zealand Winegrowers.

“New Zealand wine, particularly Sauvignon Blanc, is going from strength to strength in the USA, as consumers appreciate the distinctive flavours, commitment to quality, and know it is a unique product that they can trust.”

This year’s vintage will help the industry to meet increasing international demand, and consumers can look forward to some exceptional 2023 New Zealand wines. Nationally, harvest was down 6% on the record level 2022 vintage

The largest export markets are the United States, the UK and Australia, which account for the bulk of sales.

UNWTO Sets Spotlight on Tourism Investment in the Americas

UNWTO further strengthened its cooperation with the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean as it brought together public and private sector leaders to advance investments in the tourism sector.

Against the backdrop of the meeting of its 68th Regional Commission for the Americas, June 30th, 2023 in Quito, Ecuador, UNWTO hosted the Seminar on Sustainable Investments to explore the main challenges and opportunities around this topic in the region, and here are some of the main points.

Tourism Investments: A defining priority

The latest data from UNWTO shows that tourism in the Americas is steadily recovering, with international arrivals reaching 86% of 2019 levels by the end of the first quarter of this year. Moreover, foreign direct investment (FDI) in the tourism sector, which had experienced a decline, is now showing signs of revitalization:

Registered projects investment projects rose by 185% between 2022 2021. These projects accounted for a total value of 192.6 billion USD, reflecting rising investor confidence in the region’s potential.

Additionally, in 2021, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) surged to US$134 billion, a 56% year-on-year increase, reclaiming a substantial portion of the ground lost in 2020.  …continues at … https://www.unwto.org/news/unwto-puts-spotlight-on-tourism-investment-in-the-americas

 

400 Drones Light Up The Sky At The Bordeaux Wine Festival

The Bordeaux Wine Festival was held June 22nd to 25th, where attendees were part of wine-tasting programmes and other fun experiences. But the highlight of the festival was the spectacular drone show.  The Bordeaux Wine Festival 2023 took an environment-friendly approach to replace its annual firework with drones.

Over 400 drones lit up the night sky over the Garonne River in Bordeaux. There were 20-minute shows held on both Friday and Saturday where the drones created stunning formations of wine being poured into a glass from a bottle, a vineyard, and the drones went into formation spelling: ‘Bordeaux celebrates wine’ in bold letters in the stunning night sky. The drones were operated by the French company Dronisos.

WineGB Releases its 2023 Industry Report

Last week Wine GB released its 2023 Industry Report, which includes the latest data from producers and figures supplied by Wine Standards.

Here are some key findings:

  • Plantings continue to grow – there are currently just under 4,000ha under vine, with forecasts predicting an increase to 7,600ha by 2032;
  • In terms of production, the mid-range prediction is that production will reach 25 to 29 million bottles by 2032;
  • Wine remains one of the fastest-growing agricultural sectors in Britain;
  • In 2022, total production was 12.2 million bottles: 68% sparkling, and 32% still;
  • Sales channels and distribution in 2022 include:
  • On trade has increased– 22% (from 14%)
  • Exports up from 4% to 7%
  • Off-trade up to 41%
  • DTC now 30% from 57% – this reflects post-pandemic sales returning to hospitality and retail.

Wine Tourism

Wine tourism is buoyant and shows a positive growth trajectory; income is up – now averages 24% of total revenue. Visitor numbers are up 17% from 2021.

Ned Awty, Interim WineGB CEO says: “We are used to seeing rapid growth of plantings and production and this year is no different, with plantings up 74% in five years and a production of 12.2mn bottles, almost a record! Thanks to an overwhelming response to our membership survey, we now have our most comprehensive data set ever for wine production in the UK. The data gives us new insights into the ever-increasing importance of wine tourism, the scale and diversity of employment in our sector and an in-depth view of sales channels from the largest to smallest producers.”

Chair of WineGB, Sam Linter, said: “These truly are exciting times for English and Welsh wine. Our latest report is from the most robust data yet and we are pleased to have this access. It not only sets out where we are today but looks ahead to the next ten years in terms of production and the many opportunities. We have become an internationally acclaimed wine growing region of the highest quality.”

The industry report is available Industry & Statistics Insights

Sources:
WineGB and Wine Standards

Chablis Launches Interactive Story Game

“Unlock Chablis” merges a historic wine region with modern digital technology. “Nowadays, so much of the world is focused on the digital, and the wine world is no exception. The Unlock Chablis game allows us to communicate our key messages to wine professionals in an entertaining, modern way; yet still remain educational,” says Paul Espitalié, Chablis Commission of BIVB president.

“Digital-heavy contexts allow us to increase the accessibility of Chablis wines, and gives us innovative ways to talk and learn about these, removing any barriers.”

The visually stunning interactive game involves 4 chapters in which participants will have in-depth knowledge about:

  • History and background of Chablis and the unique quality of Burgundy;
  • Wine making – from fermentation to bottle; and
  • Different types of Chablis and their food pairing.

“The idea originally came about as the world moved out of the Covid-19 pandemic, during which everyone – including the wine industry – saw an increased digital presence: whether this was online events, new ways of connecting with each other, or for research and educational purposes,” says Espitalié.

Unlock Chablis has been designed with wine professionals, taking them “on a journey to discover the history, terroirs, and versatility of Chablis wines in a fun and relaxing way”, in turn allowing them to learn more efficiently.

The multiplayer function of the game also allows groups of players to bond together while learning about the exciting world of Chablis.

Website: unlock.chablis-wines.com