The Australian producer Penfolds, whose wines range from modest to extravagant, is trying to overcome an identity crisis, writes Joe Breen
"Great branding starts with a rigorous assessment of your audience and of the brand positioning in the minds of those people. What beliefs pop up in their mind when they think about your brand and its category? What are the good and bad memories coming back to mind?"
This is an excerpt from a piece on www.brandchannel.com. And what, you may ask, does that have to do with wine? The answer lies in the struggle the premium Australian producer Penfolds, now part of the Foster's drinks empire, has in extending the influence and impact of its Koonunga Hill brand into the heady heights of Bin 707, Magill Estate and the label's ultimate wine, Grange.
The problem is visual. Penfolds has a strong and clear identity, as you can see from the bottle in the photograph on the right. But for the bulk of people the beliefs that pop up in their mind when they see the Penfolds label do not square with the extravagant sums that bottles such as Bin 707 1998 (€82.85) fetch. In addition, the use of the "Bin" term, followed by a number to separate the wines in the Penfolds stable, could be interpreted to mean that the wines are generally alike and, as such, should cost more or less the same.
A friend told me of a minor embarrassing moment when he picked up a bottle of what he thought was Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2002 (€12.50), a very drinkable everyday wine, and went to the checkout to pay. He realised his mistake only when the sales assistant asked for €29.95 - the price of Bin 389 2002, an exceptional bottle but not what he wanted.
But it is not just small misunderstandings that have prompted Penfolds and its distributors here, Findlater Grants, to attempt to spread the word about the full line-up. Rather it is a belief that the discriminating wine drinker has not yet quite realised what they are missing.
It was as part of this new push that the London-based winemaker and big-time cricket fan Justin Knock visited Dublin to help navigate us through a revealing tasting of Penfolds wines, including its icon wine, Grange 1999 - a snip at €210 a bottle.
All present could trace the Penfolds style of intense fruit-driven wines from even the humble Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2002 right through to the regal Grange 1999. The latter is still too young, but both Bin 707 1998 and RWT Barossa Valley Shiraz 2002 (€83.85) were stunning, rich in fruit and intensity, backed up by great structure and producing waves of sensations in the mouth. The other outstanding performer was Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz 2002 (€29.95), also known as Baby Grange or Poor Man's Grange, because "components of the wine are matured in the same barrels that held the previous vintage of Grange". This is a heady blend of 53 per cent Cabernet and 47 per cent Shiraz that goes on and on in the finish.
For those with money to spend there is real pleasure in investigating the full range of Penfolds offerings. For a full history of this famous old company, check out its excellent website, at www. penfolds.com.au. Penfolds wines are widely available.
QUALITY CONTROL ON THE CATTLE FARMThe history of another Australian heavy-hitter, Leeuwin Estate, is a mite shorter than Penfolds' - by more than 100 years - but it has come a long way since it was established, in the wonderful Margaret River district, in 1972 by Denis and Tricia Horgan, with the legendary US winemaker Robert Mondavi as consultant.
Originally a cattle farm, Leeuwin Estate has evolved into one of Australia's leading wineries and centres for the arts, a "three-legged stool - wine, food and art", says Denis Horgan.
Horgan is a big man with big ideas. He is also not shy about sharing them. At a lunch in Dublin he outlined the many achievements of this fine estate, not least the range of fine wines that bear its name. He is adamant that quality control is central to Leeuwin's success. He says the number of bottles returned is minuscule, because the winery adopts such high standards.
He also believes that the days of cork are numbered, although he is not certain that screw-cap closures will become the norm, as there are other "interesting options", such as glass closures, undergoing trials. "Our view is that wine under screw cap is better than wine under cork."
Horgan says that more than 30,000 people attended concerts at the winery last year; another 200,000 visited the vineyard, many eating at its celebrated restaurant.
He also guided us through a selection of his wines, including 2001 Art Series Chardonnay (€50), 1999 Art Series Cabernet (€38) and 2002 Prelude Chardonnay (€22), all of which impressed. But the surprise of the tasting was 2002 Art Series Riesling (a relative snip at €16.50), with deep petrol aromas, intense citrus flavour and long finish with an edge.
Leeuwin wines are distributed here by Searsons, Monkstown, Co Dublin.
FROM THERE TO CLARE
Five winemakers from Clare Valley, in southern Australia, will host a wine evening at the Temple Gate Hotel, in Ennis, on Saturday, January 28th.
Jane and Andrew Mitchell, owners of Mitchell Wines, say: "We are thrilled and excited at the prospect of hosting this tasting and dinner in Co Clare. For somebody who hails from the Clare Valley in Australia, it will be like coming home."
They will be joined by other Clare producers Kilikanoon, Claymore, Wakefield and Sevenhill Cellars.
Clare Valley, 200km (125m) north of Adelaide, is one of Australia's most prestigious wine-producing regions. It was named by the Clare man Edward Gleeson, known as the King of the Clare Valley, who left Six-Mile-Bridge in 1850. As well as being the first lord mayor of the town of Clare, he founded Inchiquinn vineyards.
Places for the evening cost €60 per person and can be booked directly with Tara Brunk at the Temple Gate Hotel on 065-6823300. For further information contact John McDonnell at the Wine Australia office, on 065-7077264 or by email at Ireland@wineaustralia.com.
It's a big weekend for Wine Australia, as the following night, Sunday, January 29th, the second Big Australian Wine Dinner is being held in the Tea Rooms, at the Clarence Hotel in Dublin. Among the winemakers expected on the night are Andrew Hardy (Petaluma Wines), Andrew Tierney (Wirra Wirra), Andrew Peace (Andrew Peace Wines), Grant Bellve (Tyrrell's Wines), Viv Thompson (Bests Winery), John Lambe (Pikes Wines) and Jeremy Grennell (Wakefield Wines).
Tickets cost €85 and can be booked through the Tea Rooms, at 01-4070813. Again, you can contact John McDonnell of Wine Australia for further information, on 065-7077264 or Ireland@wineaustralia.com.