Vino Vitis

JAN 16, 2012 Posted in Export / 1 Comment

Time for London & Lord’s

Key destinations for a marketing recce while you’re in Old Blighty

Talking to Phil Reedman MW last week, and he reminded me that the annual London New Zealand Trade Tasting is just around the corner (Tuesday, 24 January, at Lord’s Cricket Ground, to be exact).

With more than 600 wines on 60 tables, the event promises a superlative tasting opportunity, with four themed self-pour tables plus master classes on the development of Kiwi Grüner Veltliner and regionality in our Pinot Noir.

So, for some of us, London beckons, and in addition to long hours manning the stands, it’s time to meet the media, your importer and your trade customers. But, as Phil point outs, there’s more to a London whistle-stop than that – it’s also time for a spot of retail therapy and marketing reconnaissance.

Posted in Export / 1 Comment

JAN 14, 2012 Posted in General / Leave a comment

Wine makes us happy

Happy New Year one and all!

Henri Cartier-Bresson's wonderful "Rue Mouffetard," taken in Paris, 1954.

The headline for today’s post may be “a truth universally acknowledged,” and yet, for those of us who work in the wine industry, one that is sometimes overlooked.

I thought I would kick off the New Year with a lovely photographic reminder of wine’s ability to cheer us up – a point we may need to revisit in the months ahead.

Although he is often cited as the father of photojournalism (he was one of the founders of Magnum Agency), Henri Cartier-Bresson is remembered just as often for photographs that appear to report nothing at all beyond a fleeting moment.

“The photograph itself doesn’t interest me,” he once said. “I want only to capture a minute part of reality.”

Perhaps not surprisingly (given the man’s quintessentially French nature), wine features in many of the images for which he is best remembered – especially those conjuring moments of ephemeral happiness.

I suspect such moments are behind each and every one of our decisions to enter the world of wine. And I, for one, have made a New Year’s resolution to aim for happiness whenever possible – in the midst of good company, enjoying the beautiful wines of New Zealand.

"Sunday on the banks of the River Marne, 1938."

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DEC 19, 2011 Posted in General / Leave a comment

Have yourself a merry little Christmas

Happy holidays!

Like many freelancers, I find the week before Christmas to be one of the busiest of the year – the silly season finds me silly with commitments! That’s partly why I’m signing off now for the holidays, but I did want to leave you, my faithful readers, with a little treat – along with my best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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NOV 29, 2011 Posted in Brand management, Export, Sales / Leave a comment

Creating wine legends

The Slim Dusty school of marketing

Cracking an export market has never been easy, as guest blogger Phil Reedman MW eloquently pointed out in last week’s post. It involves shoe leather, flesh pressing and (at least) an annual sales trip.

But Australia – and New Zealand in turn – achieved incredible success in their early forays into the United Kingdom’s ginormous wine market. Their collective stroke of genius, as Phil put it, “was in creating consumer demand by providing countless opportunities for wine drinkers to taste the wines.”

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NOV 21, 2011 Posted in Export, Sales / 5 Comments

Export – it ain’t easy

Guest blogger Phil Reedman MW presents a call to arms

Phil Reedman MW: Australia’s stroke of genius was in creating consumer demand by providing countless opportunities for wine drinkers to taste the wines.

Please welcome Phil Reedman MW as my inaugural guest blogger at Vino Vitis. Phil has spent more than 25 years working in the wine industry, including nine years as Senior Wine Product Development Manager for UK retailer Tesco, covering Australia, New Zealand, the United States and South America (although I’ve never understood how that could possibly be considered one territory).

His career has covered just about every facet of wine from vine to glass: today, from his home base in Adelaide, Phil provides a wide range of services to wineries and retailers, with an emphasis on long-term sustainable business solutions. You’ll want to bookmark his entertaining and informative blog – taking special note of his recent post regarding the Chilean wine industry.

Not long ago, Phil was invited to present the keynote speech at this year’s awards luncheon convened by the Adelaide Wine Press Club. What follows is a transcript of his remarks, to which Phil has added a postscript focusing on New Zealand wine. We’re looking forward to a lively exchange in the “Comments” section.

Posted in Export, Sales / 5 Comments

NOV 17, 2011 Posted in Brand management, Websites / 1 Comment

Homegrown, at Neudorf

The power of narrative: part four

In the digital arena, it’s not that easy to find stories chronicling the genesis of small New Zealand wineries – or at least, to find stories that engage and delight the reader while providing an authentic point of difference for the brand. Too often, the content on an “About Us” page appears to have been generated from a template – different names can be slotted in but the descriptions remain more or less the same.

I’ve already profiled two wineries that have recognised the power of a good foundation story and made theirs a focal point in online marketing and communications: Mirabeau Wine (in Provence) and Clonakilla (north of Canberra). But what about New Zealand?

Posted in Brand management, Websites / 1 Comment

NOV 15, 2011 Posted in Brand management, Websites / Leave a comment

Clonakilla counts its blessings

The power of narrative: part three

I’m continuing an exploration of the “founder’s story” and its role in wine marketing, so if you’re landing here for the first time, you may want to visit previous posts on the topic – here and here.

One of the most inspiring winery foundation stories I’ve ever heard is told by Tim Kirk, the winemaker and CEO at Clonakilla Vineyard in Murrumbateman (north of Canberra). If you’ve heard Tim speak, you will have heard this tale, which details a moment when his life dramatically changed course – a moment for which those of us lucky enough to have enjoyed Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier give thanks.

Fortunately, the company’s website presents a lovely summary of this tale in the history section entitled “Story” (usually, the very first place I click on a new website).

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NOV 6, 2011 Posted in Brand management, Websites / Leave a comment

What’s your story?

The power of narrative, part one

New Zealand has hundreds of small, independently owned wineries, each with a unique story to tell. It’s puzzling, then, to see virtually the same description pop up on so many websites and social media channels.

This dearth of originality was highlighted not too long ago by Angie Bradbury, managing director of Dig Marketing Group (based in Melbourne) and one of the presenters at the New Zealand Wine Exporters Forum held in Blenheim in July.

In her workshop, “Marketing and Brand Development – Stand Out from the Commodity Crowd,” Angie asked participants how many times they had read this script on a winery website:

“We’re a family-owned wine business hand-crafting unique wines from our estate-grown vineyard. We combine state-of-the-art technology and traditional winemaking techniques.”

Does that ring any bells? Ouch. “The single biggest challenge for wineries these days is differentiating themselves from everyone else,” she noted.

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OCT 20, 2011 Posted in General / Leave a comment

Love of the game

Backing black

New Zealand’s passion for rugby knows no bounds as the clock ticks down to this weekend’s final match between the All Blacks and Les Bleus. Along with the rest of the nation, I’m “backing black” for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. In the meantime, however, here’s a lovely tribute to that manliest of games, featuring the delectable lads from Dead Cat Bounce: