MARKETING: NEW PRODUCTS March 2007

La Poire is the first flavoured variant in four years from the trail-blazing Grey Goose brand. Plus: Green Goblin; Santa Julia; Jacquin’s Rock and Rye; Krug Rosé half bottle; Sunraysia Crush; Three Vines; William Wilberforce Freedom Ale; Les Tourelles de Longueville 2004; Andrew Peace FuturPak; Sierra Nevada India Pale Ale and Isaké Premium Red

Product name: Grey Goose La Poire
Contact details: Bacardi-Martini UK +44 (0)2380 318 000
The first super-premium pear-flavoured vodka was launched last month. Grey Goose La Poire is made from French Anjou pears, with a base of Grey Goose vodka, made in Cognac. This is the first new flavour to be added to the range since 2003. The vodka is made from entirely natural ingredients, with the crushed pears distilled in coppor pot stills and then blended with the same high-proof spirit used to make Grey Goose. This vodka is now available in top-end US on-trade accounts, and will become increasingly available in other markets in the coming months.

Product name: Green Goblin
Contact details: Wychwood Breweries, +44 (0)1993 890 800
With a leering green goblin on the label, and a tagline that reads “What’s the matter, Ciderboy, afraid you might taste something?” Wychwood Brewery’s new proposition leaves little room for interpretation. The 6% abv oak-aged cider has been produced together with Thatcher’s cider (which also recently added a pear cider to its range) and will be available in 500ml bottles from the beginning of this month. Green Goblin is a bittersweet cider made exclusively from English cider apples, and has already achieved a number of on- and off-trade listings. The cider is available to the on-trade in a six-pack priced at £7.95; the off-trade rrp is £1.69 per bottle.

Product name: Santa Julia

Contact details: Thierry’s, +44 (0)1794 507 102
The new vintage of Santa Julia wines from Familia Zuccardi features redesigned packaging, with an emphasis on simplicity. Applying to both the varietal and reserva ranges, the design is intended to update the established Argentinian brand. The varietal range (rrp £4.99) will now sport a white label, with tasting notes and vintage, as well as the range’s updated diamond insignia. On the reserva range (rrp £6.99) the insignia will be understated, with the tasting notes moved to the back label. Santa Julia Magna, a premium blended wine from the Zuccardi’s own vineyards, will also benefit from similarly updated livery.

Product name: Jacquin’s Rock and Rye
Contact details: Marblehead Brand Development, +44 (0)141 955 9091
Jacquin’s Rock and Rye is now available in the UK, a whisky naturally infused with rock candy and fruit. This US classic is still handcrafted by Charles Jacquin et Cie, the first producer of this 40% abv spirit, complete with fresh fruit suspended in the bottle. This drink was particularly popular during the 50s and 60s in the US, when it was served as a shot, although it is now also marketed as a cocktail ingredient. Rock and Rye has an rrp of approximately £18.50.

Product name: Krug Rosé half bottle
Contact details: Moët Hennessy UK, +44 (0)20 7245 4233
Krug’s rosé Champagne is now available in half bottles, complete with a pink gift box with purple lining by French furniture designer François Bauchet. This packaging is, in the words of Rémi Krug, “perfect for celebrating a tête-à-tête”. Krug Rosé is created with Pinot Noir grapes from Montagne de Reims, with contact between the skin and fermenting lasting a maximum of ten days. The resulting wine is blended with traditionally fermented vins clairs, as well as a degree of reserve wine. The rosé is fermented in oak casks and matured in underground cellars in Reims. The half bottles have an rrp of £80.

Product name: Sunraysia Crush
Contact details: Sunraysia UK, +44 (0)20 7287 3728
Australian fruit juice brand, Sunraysia, has launched Crush, a new innovation in ambient juice. The product is created by crushing the cheeks of the fruit, then blending with water. This creates a drink that is thinner than a smoothie, but thicker than juice. The range is vacuum sealed in glass bottles, and consists of three single fruit flavours, namely Alphonso Mango, White Flesh Peach and Williams Pear. Crush joins Sunraysia’s Classic Pure Squeezed and Five Star ranges, with an rrp of £1.99 and £2.29 for one litre at Morrisons and Waitrose respectively.

Product name: Three Vines
Contact details: Pernod Ricard UK, +44 (0)20 8538 4328
Three Vines is a new tri-varietal range being launched in the UK by Jacob’s Creek. First shown at the Australia Day Tastings earlier this year, the range consists of a Semillon Sauvignon Blanc Viognier, Shiraz Grenache Sangiovese (rosé) and Shiraz Cabernet Tempranillo. Produced to respond to a consumer desire to try more unusual varietals, the range combines Australian blends with a Mediterranean varietal. At £6.99, the range is priced to fit between the core Jacob’s Creek range and the reserve offering. The range will be supported by a print, digital and in-store campaign.

Product name: William Wilberforce Freedom Ale

Contact details: Westerham Brewery, +44 (0)1732 864 427
To coincide with Fairtrade Fortnight (which started on February 26, Brewery has announced the launch of a Fairtrade draught beer called William Wilberforce Freedom Ale. This beer is made using Fairtrade Demerara sugar from Malawi, which accounts for 20% of the dry ingredients. The launch of this beer marks the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade on March 25. Part of the proceeds from Freedom Ale will go to Stop the Traffik, a charity dedicated to fighting illegal human trafficking.

Product name: Les Tourelles de Longueville 2004
Contact details: +33 (0) 556 73 17 18
The 2004 vintage of the “second” wine of Château Pichon-Longueville, Les Tourelles de Longueville, is launching with a screwcap closure in the UK on-trade. This is the result of a request from Bibendum, the wine’s exclusive distributor. This choice of closure is intended to respond to trends in the on-trade, such as by-the-glass promotions. In the retail and merchant sector, a cork closure will continue to be offered to customers. The producers of Les Tourelles believe that this wine can either be enjoyed now or in a few years, depending on the closure used.

Product name: Andrew Peace FuturPak

Contact details: Bottle Green, +44 (0)113 205 4500
Andrew Peace is the first Australian producer to choose the environmentally friendly FuturPak over traditional glass bottles. Launched at this year’s Australia Day Tastings, the 1 litre package has the same rrp as an equivalent 75cl bottle (£5.99), is easy to open and is resealable. The wine is protected by a layer of aluminium foil, and the carton is vacuum-sealed. Its environmental credentials are a result of the reduction in resources required for production, transportation and disposal when compared to traditional packaging.

Product name: Sierra Nevada India Pale Ale

Contact details: Vertical Drinks, +44 (0)7831 581 171
Last month Vertical Drinks Ltd made a limited amount of Sierra Nevada IPA available in the UK for the first time. The brewery’s flagship pale ale is apparently the fastest selling American-style pale ale in the UK. The IPA is made in the traditional English style from English hops varieties, at an abv of 6.8%. Sierra Nevada also produces a number of seasonal beers such as Summerfest, Celebration and Big Foot.

Product name: Isaké Premium Red
Contact details: Isaké, +44 (0)7952 939 066
Premium sake producer Isaké launched a striking new product in the UK last month. Isaké Premium Red is made from an ancient kind of red rice, giving the sake a distinctive colour, as well as a red fruit aroma. The launch was held at Selfridges in London, where Isaké has a branded area. Premium Red is produced at the Kiuchi Brewery in Japan, a brewery well known for maintaining high quality standards when many other breweries began mass producing sake. This new product is available in 180ml, 300ml and 720ml bottles, with an rrp of £8.99, £13.99 and £27.50 respectively.