Putting somesparkle into
Putting somesparkle into thelives of femaledrinkersSlingsby Rhubarb gin,produced by Spirit ofHarrogateA spa town ginthat aims tospark foreigninterestA gin range that celebrates the man credited withdiscovering spa waters in the English town of Harrogatewas present at Vinexpo as part of a new export drive.The Slingsby range of gins, namedafter a soldier called Sir WilliamSlingsby, born in the 16 century, islooking to find new markets aroundthe globe. The brand showcased itswares in Vinexpo Paris's Be Spiritssection.Harrogate in Yorkshire has longbeen celebrated as a spa town, andSlingsby markets itself as "Restoringthe Spirit of Harrogate".About 95% of sales are currentlyin the United Kingdom, with therest mostly coming from Denmark,Finland, Australia, New Zealand andCroatia."The plan now is to expand. We thinkthe big opportunity for ultra-premiumgin is export markets," said Tony Ince,director of sales for Slingsby's owner,Spirit of Harrogate.The brand estimates that about 60%of customers are female. Slingsby'sefforts to grow sales abroad aretargeting markets such as France,Germany, Holland, Belgium and Spain.Nick Dunning, Spirit of Harrogate'sexport manager, says he believesthe gin market internationally is "stillexpanding"."We see some opportunity withour flavoured products, becauseinternationally they're not yet as bigas in the UK. We're one of the leadersin that," he said.As well as being available as a LondonDry Gin, Slingsby is offered in Yorkshirerhubarb, gooseberry and marmaladeflavours. There is also an Old Tom gin,inspired by an old-style gin popular inthe 18th century, and a Navy Strengthgin, bottled at 57% ABV.The pink sparkling vodka liqueur Nuvo choseVinexpo Paris as its first European show.A drink targeted at women and billed as theworld's first sparkling liqueur used VinexpoParis as the platform for an ambitioussales drive.Nuvo L'Esprit de Paris, created by theAmerican entrepreneur Raphael Yakoby,has been available in the United Statessince 2006 and is now entering Europeanmarkets.Pink in colour and presented in adistinctive square bottle - a novelty for asparkling drink - it is made of 95 percentpremium French vodka, five percentFrench sparkling wine and fruit nectar."The creator, Raphael Yakoby, histhinking behind this product was thatall the brands out there are maleoriented.The packaging, everythingis skewed to the male," said JohnVasquez, national brand manager forLondon Group, the company behindNuvo."Even if it's a female product, thebottle is still male-oriented. He said,'We need something for her.'"Vasquez said that Nuvo's modest 15percent alcohol content tied in withthe trend towards lower-alcoholbeverages.He described the brand's receptionat Vinexpo Paris's Be Spirits sectionas "excellent", with interest fromacross Europe and further afield,including South Korea, China andJapan.The 700ml bottles needed for theEuropean market will, says Vasquez,be ready in March so that distributioncan start in April."We're really looking to grow asquickly as we can into female targetmarkets."Yakoby also launched Hpnotiq, a blueliqueur that he reportedly sold for tensof millions of dollarsThe award winningAbk6 XO Cognac6 • VINEXPO DAILY • THURSDAY 20 TH FEBRUARY 2020www.vinexpodaily.com
I TRADE TALK IJean-MichelDelucco-founder,Le Petit Ballon© Flavien PrioreauPRESS CORNERThe essentialwine magazineTerre de vins has grown a great deal in 10years, with turnover increasing tenfold.We asked Managing Director RodolpheWartel to tell us more.Wine: it's aboutmore than just theproductJean-Michel Deluc co-founded the subscription wine serviceLe Petit Ballon in 2011. Deluc is the club's Master Sommelierand selects the two wines that members receive every monthaccording to their profile. He discusses what has sustained hissuccessful career in the drinks trade.My role is to ensure the quality of ourselected wines, so I taste every wine thatwe sell. We try to offer unusual wines thatthe consumers cannot find anywhereelse. Beside our boxes, where everymonth we propose two bottles that Ihave selected, along with technical notesand a review, we offer a large selection ofwines and spirits. The trend is towardsbio or organic wines, which make up22% of our wines. We offer a bio boxevery month.What do you like most about thebeverage industry?What I like about wine is all the thingsaround it, not just the product: thehistory, the geography, the stories, thesocial side of wine drinking and thescience behind it. And to be able to helpconsumers to understand the subject isgreat. With Le Petit Ballon, I feel that I ameverybody's sommelier at home.What were you hoping to achieve atVinexpo Paris?I was trying to find some newwinegrowers, new cuvées and newOFTEN I LOOKAT THE BOTTLEAND THE PEOPLEBEFORE I DECIDEWHETHER TOTASTE. THEPSYCHOLOGICALSIDE OF TASTING ISIMPORTANT.appellations, and to meet and thankpersonally the winemakers with whomwe work.What is the secret to getting the mostout of a busy Vinexpo?Relationships, conversation andcuriosity. Often I look at the bottle andthe people before I decide whether totaste. The psychological side of tastingis importantTerre de vins is today credited with 300,000 readers forthe magazine and 150,000 unique visitors on terredevins.com. It has become a 360° medium, revealing contentand producing events.My role is to drive these developments, accelerate themand maintain double-digit growth every year.What were you looking for at Vinexpo?We were seeking to meet all the French operators whohave ideas, who innovate, carry projects and want tomake it known.What are the trends in the French market?The decline in wine consumption in France, the declinein red wines and the decline in Bordeaux. The Trumptax, Brexit but also coronavirus are so many clouds thataccumulate and make us think that French vineyardsmust also win at home, which constitutes for many ofthem 50-80% of sales.What are the challenges and opportunities forwinegrowers in 2020?The first challenge is to convince the political class thatplanting vines and producing wine is not a crime but ispart of a virtuous land development, carrying values andjobs. The other will be to modernise the image of wineRodolpheWartelManaging Director,Terre de vinsVINEXPO DAILY • THURSDAY 20 TH FEBRUARY 2020 • 7
