Selling wine a 'family' affair

Richard Riddiford is hopeful of more sales. Picture / Mark Mitchell

A newly formed group of winemakers who have banded together in an international marketing push will meet next week to review their first combined overseas sales trip.

The "Family of 12", which includes some of the country's most critically acclaimed independent wine brands, was launched in March as an "innovative, intimate and targeted" initiative to woo overseas buyers.

A delegation made up of marketers from each of the wineries left on the group's first international roadshow in late June. They held dinners and wine tastings targeting leading restaurateurs and upmarket independent wine retailers in three key metropolitan markets: San Francisco, New York and London.

Family of 12 chairman Richard Riddiford, from Martinborough's Palliser Estate Wines, said members would meet for a debrief on the trip which had attracted a strong turnout from wine buyers. An indication of the sales value of the trip would emerge from the debrief but "I'd be very surprised if it doesn't result in a lot more sales".

In New York, the group courted wine buyers at Public, a restaurant where globe-trotting New Zealand culinary chef Peter Gordon is a consultant.

The launch of the "Family" sparked concern from some in the industry that its marketing efforts could undermine the efforts of umbrella group New Zealand Winegrowers.

But Riddiford said claims the Family was a breakaway group were "rubbish", especially given two member wineries, Craggy Range and Villa Maria, sat on the Winegrowers Board.

"It's a sign of the maturity of the industry that there will be groups of people - whether it's on a regional basis or a national basis - that will work together, especially at the smaller end of the industry where it's inevitable that people are going to have to combine their efforts," he said.

"It's difficult for a lot of wineries to regularly visit their offshore markets so I think the concept of 10 or 12 getting together is going to happen more and more, although that's always going to be under the umbrella of the over-arching strategy of New Zealand Winegrowers."

Winegrowers chief executive Philip Gregan said that as wine exports grew the industry needed to intensify its marketing efforts through a mix of activities by individual companies, the industry body and regional and company groupings like the Family. Alastair Maling, group wine-maker for the Family's largest member, Villa Maria, said the promotion would have been particularly beneficial in raising the international profile of smaller Family members. It was also a good branding exercise for New Zealand wine.

The Family of 12

* Kumeu River Auckland
* Villa Maria Auckland
* Milton Vineyard Gisborne
* Craggy Range Hawkes Bay
* Palliser Estate Martinborough
* Ata Rangi Martinborough
* Fromm Winery Marlborough
* Nautilus Marlborough
* Lawson's Dry Hills Marlborough
* Neudorf Vineyards Nelson
* Pegasus Bay Waipara
* Felton Road Central Otago