Terroir Capital Brings South Africa’s Mulderbosch In-House After 20 Years With Cape Classics

South African wine brand Mulderbosch has parted ways with longtime U.S. importer Cape Classics. Brand-owner Terroir Capital, based in Santa Barbara, California, will now serve as Mulderbosch’s U.S. marketer.

Mulderbosch, whose wines range from $11 to $22 a 750-ml., produces Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Rosé of Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and The Faithful Hound, a Cabernet Sauvignon red blend. The brand is best known for Sauvignon Blanc, but Terroir Capital sees opportunity for Chenin Blanc in the U.S., where Mulderbosch sells 35,000 cases of its 200,000-case annual global volume. “We’re making a huge investment in Mulderbosch, and we want to communicate that directly to the market,” Terroir Capital owner Charles Banks told Shanken News Daily, adding that the goal is for the brand to sell 150,000 cases in the U.S. within five years.

Banks, a former co-owner of California cult wine label Screaming Eagle, said he wants Terroir Capital to develop a much closer relationship with Mulderbosch’s distributors and consumers. “We have another brand called Cultivate—a global negoçiant brand launched last November—that we handle ourselves,” he said. “On Cultivate, we have great relationships with our distributors, but with Mulderbosch we haven’t had direct distributor relationships. So we’ve streamlined our route to market to get one step closer to our consumers.”

Terroir Capital acquired Mulderbosch from former managing director Ben Truter and family in late 2010. In addition to Mulderbosch and Cultivate, Terroir Capital’s portfolio includes Sandhi and Leviathan from California, Fable from South Africa and Maison L’Orée from Burgundy. Banks said an entry into Washington state is also in the works.

Tagged : South Africa, wine

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