New Age is the ‘Cool’ Top-Selling White Wine in ‘Hot’ Argentine Category – PRNewswire

NAPA, Calif., Oct. 28 /PRNewswire/ — The continued growth of Argentine wine  imports to the US (more than 40% annually over three years) has made it the  most important “import to watch” in the wine  ndustry.

That New Age White is the largest-selling Argentine white wine in just-released Nielsen Research data on Argentine wines sales in the US makes it a “hot brand” in a hot category. This does not surprise Argentines, who say that Americans have finally discovered what bar patrons and club-goers in Buenos Aires and the rest of the country have long-known – New Age is the most unique, flavorful, and versatile Argentine white wine on the market.

Direct Wines Selects iMarketing LTD As Agency Of Record For All Online Marketing Initiatives – PRNewswire/ iMarketing LTD

PRINCETON, N.J., Oct. 28 /PRNewswire/ — iMarketing LTD (www.iMarketingltd.com), a full-service online marketing agency, today announced that it has been selected to implement an integrated online marketing program for Direct Wines, supporting the company’s expansion in the US and increased emphasis on online sales**. Through affiliate, search engine, and CPA marketing, iMarketing will be focused on generating more cost-effective orders for Direct Wines, increasing site traffic and sales growth with improved ROI.

Editorial: Malaysia pact boosts Asean trade strategy – New Zealand Herald

And then there were seven. New Zealand’s latest free-trade agreement, with Malaysia, was accompanied by the customary enthusiasm from politicians and business representatives. There was much talk of a gateway into Asia, and the Prime Minister described it as “a significant step forward in relations with Malaysia and further evidence of our economic integration with Asia”. Michael Barnett, of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, said it was a great opportunity for businesses if they chose to take it. Clearly, this is a welcome development, but its importance lies as much in its actual signing as in the likelihood of any dramatic change in trade between New Zealand and Malaysia.

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Equally, it underlined the growth in Asia of a similar sentiment. Formulating an agreement with Malaysia was, obviously, always going to be far simpler than the ground-breaking deal struck with China last year. But that does not mean there were no complications. For the first time, Malaysia has, at New Zealand’s insistence, agreed to include environmental and labour-law co-operation clauses in such a pact. New Zealand, for its part, had to bow to Muslim Malaysia’s demand that alcohol-related products, notably wine, be excluded

Did you know that wine is produced throughout Latin America? Chile and Argentina have been able to successfully break into the international market but they are by no means the only players in the market.

A few months ago Sophie Kevany, a journalist for Decanter based in Lima, contacted me and explained she was writing an article on South American wine harvests.

[Courtesy of http://www.robgroh.com/maps.htm]

I was immediately interested due to a focus of her article being on wines from countries other than South America’s traditional producers. Her research has yielded a incredibly informative article, which you can access through clicking here.

In Brazil sparkling wine exports were up 18% in value for the first three months, with much of the wine going to America and Germany, Wines from Brazil said

Overall exports were also positive. Brazil aims to export US$6m this year, with US$2.3m already confirmed for January to April.

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At the higher end there was also positive news. In Peru, Tacama ? which produces wines in the $10 to $40 bracket retail – said export values were up 10% in the first quarter.

Click here to access Sophie Kevany’s article in its entirety

Click here to check out Decanter.com — a great resource for keeping up to date with developments and new trends in the wine industry

Click here to follow Decanter.com’s news feed on Twitter

An Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation report released this weekend states the value of Australian wine exports declined 14% in the year ending April 2009.

The report highlights that despite overall pressure from the global financial crisis, which has strained many traditional export markets, growth in Asian markets remains robust.

The report says that more than half of the industries export decline originated from the United Kingdom. Export growth came from Hong Kong, China and Japan. China recorded the largest growth in value, with a increase of $30 million.

Another trend also highlighted in the report was a move towards lower-prices bulk wine shipments. It seems the greater market is cutting back on higher end wines in exchange for “bang for your buck.”

Good news for South American and other low cost producers making quality wine which tend to struggle to break into Asian markets where consumers are VERY brand consciousness and prefer French, Italian and more recently Australian and Californian wines.

Excepts have been obtained from this ABC-Australia article

Chile’s leading wine exporter Concha y Toro CHT.SN(VCO.N) said on Wednesday its first quarter net profit rose 37.6 percent from a year earlier
to 8.395 billion pesos ($14.4 million).

Concha y Toro said consolidated sales rose 12.6 percent during the period to 68.458 billion pesos.

“In this quarter, we saw significant growth in the UnitedStates market,” CEO Eduardo Guilisasti said in statement, adding the company also saw growth in the United Kingdom and Japan.

Concha y Toro reported in February its profit for 2008 slipped 5.23 percent to 35.152 billion pesos.

The company said in November it planned to raise up to $189 million in a capital increase and bond issues on the local market to pay for future projects and pay down short-term debt.

[Reuters Article]