Five fine-wine producers form alliance to bolster presence in travel retail

Five wineries from Europe and South America are teaming up to bolster their presence in the travel-retail sector. The Travel Retail Fine Wine Alliance will launch at the TFWA world exhibition and conference next month in the hopes of making the wineries more attractive to buyers and to learn from each other. The five wineries involved are Albert Bichot in France, Cono Sur in Chile, González Byass in Spain, Masi Agricola in Italy and Symington Family Estates in Portugal. “We have known each other for a few years through TFWA Cannes and other fairs and we share similar values and a common view on the relevance of travel retail,” Cono Sur travel retail manager Geraldine Gouet-Thureau told Just Drinks. “In a post-Covid era, and with the idea of rebuilding a strong travel retail sector, we had the idea to form this alliance. “There is no leader. As we are producing different wines, we are not direct competitors.” While the partnership is not a commercial one and each winery will remain commercially independent, the group hopes to “attract more attention from buyers”. Pier Giuseppe Torresani, export and travel retail sales director at Masi Agricola, said: “At Masi, we have always believed in the power of collaboration. We are part of other organisations such as Grandi Marchi Institute (an association of wineries representing all Italian regions), Famiglie Storiche (a group of historical family wineries of Amarone) and Alta Gamma (connecting premium Italian goods). “As a group, we are stronger. This is even more valid in travel retail where wine is, relatively speaking, a small category and where wine brands are less strong versus cosmetics, spirits and confectionery.” The group is launching into a “rapidly rebounding” channel, according to drinks giant Pernod Ricard, but it is not yet back to pre-pandemic strength. Pernod Ricard CEO Alexandre Ricard, announcing the France-based group's annual results earlier this month, said: “For this new fiscal year, we expect travel retail profits to be back to pre-Covid levels.” Gouet-Thureau said the travel retail wine market is “constantly growing even if not back to 2019 levels yet”. Sales targets aside, at the heart of the Travel Retail Fine Wine alliance lies a desire to collaborate and share knowledge. “We can learn from each other, sharing experiences and contacts,” Gouet-Thureau said. “Cono Sur shares values and a common view with the wineries represented – a sense of cooperation, work friendship and unity. We believe that there are instances in life when the proverb: ‘If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together,’ truly makes sense.” “We are five beautiful wineries with superb wines,” Torresani added. “When we meet we can have some good times together on a personal level.” The group is particularly keen to share approaches to sustainability. “Among us, we share many characteristics and values, sustainability is one of those,” Torresani said. “With different approaches, we are all interested in our impact on the environment. In wine it should be normal; our business comes from the fields, nature is our home and we need to preserve it. “Masi is celebrating its 250th anniversary this year. Such an achievement can be possible only if you have created a sustainable business and sustainable relationships with the terroir and the people around you.” The alliance will launch with a food and wine tasting in Cannes on 4 October.

Five fine-wine producers form alliance to bolster presence in travel retail

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