News Briefs for September 6, 2011
September 6, 2011• Italian wine producer Bruno Giacosa has chosen Folio Fine Wine Partners, a Michael Mondavi family company, as its U.S. importer, effective January 1, 2012. Folio will import various Giacosa wines to the American market, including Barbaresco Asili DOCG, Barbaresco Asili Riserva DOCG, Barbaresco DOCG, Barbaresco Santo Stefano DOCG and Barbera d’Alba DOC, among others. Folio’s brand stable includes other wines from Italy, as well as Argentina, Austria, Germany and Spain and a wide offering of California brands including Oberon and M by Michael Mondavi.
• Odom-Southern, the joint venture between Odom Corp and Southern Wine & Spirits, is adding the W.J. Deutsch portfolio—including Yellow Tail and Georges Duboeuf among others—in key markets across the Pacific Northwest, effective September 1. The deal grants Odom-Southern exclusive rights to market and sell Deutsch’s wines in Oregon and Washington, and to sell Deutsch wine and spirits (including Luksusowa vodka) in Alaska. It also gains exclusive brokerage rights for Deutsch wine and spirits in Utah and Wyoming as well as exclusive brokerage rights for spirits in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. Deutsch was previously partnered with Young’s-Columbia in the affected markets. The new agreement expands on the relationship between Deutsch and Southern, which includes Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, New York, South Carolina, Nevada, New Mexico and Mississippi (exclusive brokerage rights). Deutsch’s second-largest distribution partner is Glazer’s, based in the central part of the country.
• Christie’s has announced the sale of a Château Lafite-Rothschild lot for $539,280—the highest price for a single lot this year—at its Hong Kong auction on September 3. An anonymous Chinese bidder reportedly purchased the 300-bottle lot, which included vintages from every year between 1981 and 2005. Also featuring top sales of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Burgundy, a 1911 Moët & Chandon Champagne and a 1982 Le Pin Bordeaux, the two-day auction raised a total of roughly $7.6 million.
• Treasury Wine Estates-owned Australian wine brand Wolf Blass has launched a new global advertising campaign, targeting the U.S., U.K., Canada, China and Australia. Created by Australia-based DDB Melbourne, the campaign features the brand’s eagle mascot under the tagline “Enjoy the view,” and aims to forge “a greater emotional connection around the brand,” said DDB Melbourne managing partner Oliver Lynch. The campaign will span print, digital, outdoor, online and social media platforms. In the U.S., Wolf Blass fell 28.5% by volume last year to 70,000 cases, according to Impact Databank.
• Sazerac Co., one of the five largest U.S. spirits marketers, announced late last week it’s acquiring 32 brands from White Rock Distilleries. They include Tortilla, Desert Island, Kapali, Ryans, Fire Water, Ice 101, Barbarossa, Ice Box and Mt. Royal, among others. The purchase price wasn’t disclosed.
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