We've responded to the increasing trend of consumers trading up and opting for higher quality wines by adding a number of premium wineries and over 30 new boutique producers from across the old and new world to our new wine list.
Our Insight revealed that consumers appear to be enjoying premium wines increasingly regularly across the On-Trade. Premium still wine sales throughout Matthew Clark's customer base are up 10.7%[i] on last year. Sectors which have seen a particularly strong performance are restaurants (up 14.5% on last year) and Gastro pubs (up 52%).[ii] The new producers introduced to our list have been hand-selected by our expert buying team in response to consumer trends moving towards more premium offerings.
With Sauvignon Blanc accounting for nearly 43%[iii] of our premium still white category with a growth of 6%[iv] on last year, this has been an area we've looked to expand in Old World and New.
With New Zealand Sauvignon seeing a surge in sales in high-end outlets including prestige hotels and gastropubs[v], we've bolstered our range with the introduction of exciting Hawke's Bay producer Te Awa, known for its Left Field range which includes an acclaimed Sauvignon Blanc. With French Sauvignon Blanc making up over 32% of French white wine volume[vi] we also looked to the Old World to satisfy demand for this bestselling grape and bought on board Maison Sauvion from the Loire. A self-styled "Façonneur de Plaisir", (The Pleasure Maker), winemaker Pierre-Jean Sauvion is known for his Gros-Plant Sauvignon, as well as his Haute Culture Château du Cléray" Muscadet Sèvre & Maine sur lie. Elsewhere the French range has also grown with the addition of 13 new boutique wineries including a selection from Burgundy responding to 20% surge in Chablis sales over the last year[vii], meeting the increasingly high customer demand for quality as well as value.
With customers increasingly discerning, and seeking out more interesting selections, we've ensured that our new list has a diverse range of wine on offer with inclusion of lesser known regions and varietals. Having seen 130% growth[viii] in Campania wines over 2014, we introduced a Falanghina and a Fiano from Campania producer San Salvatore in response to this growing enthusiasm for Italy's lesser-known gems.
Our Wine Purchasing Director, Simon Jerrome, comments: "We're delighted to welcome so many new top producers to our 2015 list. Our customers are increasingly looking to up their offering of quality wines delivering good value as consumers are not only more willing to trade up but more interested in trying new things. We have welcomed producers from all corners of the world this year which adds even greater character to our wine list. We have new producers from Australia, Argentina, USA, Spain, Hungary, Romania and the UK as well as France, Italy and New Zealand - all selected to fulfil growing customer demand for premium wines."
- [i] Matthew Clark MAT to 31/12/14
- [ii] Matthew Clark MAT to 31/12/14
- [iii] Matthew Clark MAT to 31/12/14 [iv] Matthew Clark MAT to 31/12/14
- [v] Matthew Clark MAT to 31/12/14 - 10% uplift in prestige hotels and 42% uplift in gastropubs
- [vi] Matthew Clark MAT to 31/12/14
- [vii] 20% year on year increase in volume sales of Chablis in premium bars. Matthew Clark Insight MAT Dec14.
- [viii] Matthew Clark MAT to 31/12/14
