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Swartland
wines take US market by storm
It was one of the most talked-about developments among
wine farmers in the Swartland, but the news that a local
winery had been chosen to supply wine to one of the world's
top five wine producers became one of the region's best
kept secrets.
“E&J Gallo didn't want us to say too much about
Sebeka on their behalf,” explained Suzanne van Dyk,
assistant marketing manager at the Malmesbury-based Swartland
winery. “But now that the wines have done so well,
it's just impossible to keep quiet.”
There was certainly nothing secretive about the launch
of the new brand in the US.
“We tapped into our huge distribution network,”
Gallo's Diego LoPrete, marketing manager for the Sebeka
brand, explained. “And we aimed for the sweet spot
in the US market. That's the wines that sell at between
$8 and $14 a bottle, and appeal to the young, affluent
consumers, the ones that are looking for new things and
can recognise the exotic appeal of South Africa.”
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Diego LoPrete and winemaker Andries Blake.
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The
strategy certainly worked. In the year since the launch,
the wines have taken a string of major awards. Sebeka
beat 264 competitors to be ranked at number one new wine
brand in the “2007 Table Wine Top 10 New Brands”
published by Information Resources Inc (IRI), the leading
global provider of consumer, shopper, and market insights
for CPG, retail, and healthcare industries. This award
is even more significant when you realise that Sebeka
was launched into the market almost three months into
the 52-week evaluation period from January 7, 2007 to
January 6, 2008. Influential publications such as Wine
Spectator and Wine Enthusiast have also given it strong
scores and it also achieved a “Best Buy” recognition
from USA Today.
Gallo is a major player. It holds 57% of the market share
in the US and sells about 17 million cases of wine each
year with a total sales value of $3.5 billion. The Gallo
brand is marketed into 90 countries around the world.
“When we heard that they were looking for a South
African partner, we made sure that they visited the Swartland.
It was a huge coup for us when they chose us,” Andries
Blake, chief winemaker said. “The Sebeka brand is
not marketed as a Swartland wine of origin, though, because
Gallo needs such big volumes that we buy in grapes from
other regions in the Western Cape as well. But all the
wine is made and bottled here, at Swartland Winery.”
Interestingly, the name of the wine has nothing to do
with the Swartland region. Sebeka was the name of the
orphaned cheetah cub which was the inspiration for the
formation of the Hoedspruit Centre for Endangered Species.
The Sebeka label features a cheetah running in full stride
and a portion of the profits from Sebeka sales are sent
back to Hoedspruit.
The Sebeka range includes a Cabernet Pinotage, Shiraz,
Cape Blend (60% Shiraz, 40% Pinotage), Cardonnay, Sauvignon
Blanc, and for 2008, Chenin Blanc.
“The Pinotage amazed us,” LoPrete commented.
“We didn't expect it to be such a huge seller, but
the market responded to the fact that it is so uniquely
South African. People are looking for something authentic.
We're excited the Chenin Blanc this year too. It's an
authentic, aromatic wine. chenin from South Africa is
going to be the next big thing among US wine lovers.”
If the enthusiastic response of a group of top US leisure
magazine journalists who visited Swartland Winery last
week (Thursday 15) was anything to go by, the Sebeka range
has a bright future.
“We've just touched the tip of the market,”
LoPrete said. “There's still a huge potential for
South African wines, not just in the US but other parts
of our distribution area as well.” |
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