Promoting New Zealand through White Wine w/ Charlotte Read, NZ Winegrowers

With 88% of their wine exported, 93% of which is white, white wine is a big deal for New Zealand. Charlotte Read, General Manager of Brand for New Zealand Winegrowers, explains how they have been focused on promoting white wine globally. This includes campaigning for a white wine emoji, focusing on the the month of May with Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, and Chardonnay days, and focusing on their motto - “NZ wine, all together unique.”Detailed Show Notes: Charlotte’s background - dairy industry, lived in Asia and the UK, in wine for the last 20 yearsNZ WinegrowersEst 2002,1,400 members (50% wineries, 50% growers)Only unified winemaking and grape-growing organizationFunded by compulsory leviesMission: to enhance the reputation of NZ wine5 key workstreams: Brand, Environment, Efficacy, Research, PeopleTagline - “NZ wine, all together unique”Supports the 10 wine regionsNZ exports 88% of their wine to 100 countriesTop markets - US (~40% of exports), UK, AustraliaFocus markets - Canada, ChinaFocused on white wine (93% of exports) for May - 3 events, Sauvignon Blanc Day, Pinot Gris Day, and Chardonnay DayWhite wine emoji - leading a campaign over the last few years to have this implementedKendall Jackson previously campaigned for itChanged the glass shape to focus on white winesGotten great pressReached >20M people in 2022, 79M in 2023NZ has significant wine diversity - >50 grape varieties planted, SB #1, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir (largest red, 3% of exports)NZ wine style - purity of fruit, backbone of acidityMarketing metrics used - estimated advertising value, reach and engagement, social media engagement, toolkit downloadsLighter Wine Research Project - 7 years, $16M project w/ 18 wineries and government, led to the early launch of no and low alcohol wines (e.g., Giesen 0%, Kim Crawford Illuminate)Overall, wine imports to the US are down, but NZ has outpaced the market; premium price ($15+) grew 15% in 2023Targeting a group of “Generation Treaters” (mostly Millennials) - 1/10 of drinkers, but ⅕ of spendCan cross-promote white wines - 63% of SB drinkers drink Pinot Gris, 67% of SB drinkers drink ChardonnayNZ as innovators - moved to screw caps early (early 2000s), fast adopter of concrete eggs, experimenting with green tea as a preservative, no alcohol wine residual alcohol used for ginHighest impact marketing - influencing the influencer (e.g., a WSET partner, work with Sommelier associations)Major eventsHas a booth at ProWein and Vinexpo Hong KongHosts International Sauvignon Blanc Conference every 4 years (2027)Hosts Pinot Noir Conference in between (Feb 2025)Sommit - summit for sommeliers, a master class settingTrends to watchSustainability (NZ has 96% of vineyards certified sustainable)Packaging innovationGrowing wine tourism Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.