Crown Cellars, the specialist wine division of Carlsberg UK, has launched its 2017/18 wine portfolio, with proven best-sellers and new additions that respond to market trends, including the explosion in demand for prosecco which continues in 2017.
More than 200 wines have been rigorously tasted by Crown Cellars’ team of experts including Master of Wine Jonathan Pedley and Wine Buyer Louise Boddington before 32 of the best were selected to join the 2017/18 range.
The collection of 500 wines is chosen based on the quality credentials of each wine as well as listening to customer feedback and responding to trends in the market and designed to help on-trade operators’ wine lists stand out from the crowd.
The portfolio offers 125 wines exclusively available to the on-trade through Crown Cellars. These feature high quality wines from both the Old and New World, chosen as a great example of its grape variety or country of origin. They also include many food friendly wines.
Premium Range
As premiumisation continues across the on-trade, with value wine sales up 1.4% in the past year, the new list has been adapted to reflect this. This includes the addition of two new Proseccos – Lyric Prosecco Extra Dry, exclusive to Crown Cellars, and a Terra Serena Brut Prosecco.
Jonathan Pedley said: “Prosecco sales continue at mind boggling levels but the feedback from our customers is that they are now looking for a truly dry (Brut) Prosecco. Most Prosecco in the UK is labelled ‘Extra Dry” but actually has a noticeable amount of sweetness when you taste it. The excellent Terra Serena does not.”
For customers looking to offer a more complex alternative to Prosecco the Franciacorta Brut from a small appellation in Lombardy is another exciting new addition to the range.
Spain is the country of origin with the most new still wines in the 2017/18 portfolio, followed by Italy, which is currently pushing France hard for the spot of biggest wine producer.
Jonathan Pedley adds: “There has been a complete revolution in the Spanish wine industry, such that today Spain probably delivers the best quality: price proposition in the world.”
Taste of Success
Paul Waller, Director of Third Party Brands at Carlsberg UK, said: “We are delighted that the positive momentum of Crown Cellars has continued apace in the past year. This strong growth has enabled us to continue to expand our WSET accredited team, so we can continue to deliver market-leading support and expertise to on-trade operators. This includes helping operators to devise bespoke wine menus and make informed decisions on the right wines to suit their business.”
He adds: “We have over 20 years’ experience of supplying to on-trade operators and are continually evolving our portfolio to meet their needs. I am confident our expertly chosen 2017/18 range will help them to drive their wine sales even further in the next year.”
Crown Cellars new spirits portfolio for 2017/18 will be launched in June.
Source: Carlsberg UK
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