Top 10 wine brands 2016

While interest in wine among younger consumers appears to be at an all-time high, and brands are being forced to wake up to the importance of engaging with the next generation of drinkers who will ultimately go on to shape the market, consumption in countries with a rich wine tradition like Italy, France and Germany is in decline and forecast to fall further over the next four years.

While Italy overtook France to become the world’s largest wine producer last year, at the same time domestic consumption fell to an all-time low. It’s a very different story in the US, which retained its crown last year as the world’s largest consumer of wine, with consumption slated to rise a further 2% between now and 2019 to 4.2 billion bottles per year.

Interestingly, millennial consumers are driving this growth, despite being increasingly lured to other drinks categories like craft beer and Bourbon, which seem more adept at speaking their language. Encouragingly, wine lovers in the US are adopting a ‘less is better’ philosophy, with sales of wine over $10 a bottle on the rise.

But while Americans may be forking out more on wine in general, boxed wine brand Franzia remains the world’s bestselling wine brand with a staggering 0.8% share of the total global market, according to Euromonitor. Consumption in China is picking up, with the country making an increasing impact on the global wine market. While exports are on the rise, imports grew by 37% in 2015 as the country’s thirst for wnes from all over the world develops.

Back home in the UK, Prosecco continues to dominate the headlines and sales, as the Italian sparkler is increasingly viewed as an everyday treat. But while the UK remains a key player on the global wine stage, it is not yet known how its decision to leave the European Union will affect trade.

With the powerhouses of the US and China dominating the global wine game last year, it’s unsurprising that the majority of brands in our top 10 hail from these two nations. But we’re keeping a close eye on Chile’s Concha y Toro, which is quietly but steadily rising to the top of the table with wines that outperform for their price points.

Read on for our round up of the top 10 biggest-selling wine brands in the world. Sales figures are based on a combination of data provided by the brand owners and industry estimates.

10: Beringer 

Brand owner : Treasury Wine Estates
Head office : 58 Queensbridge Street, Southbank VIC 3006, Melbourne, Australia
Tel : +44 (0)20 8843 8411
Website : beringer.com
Vice-president, marketing : Seth Hynes
PR (in-house) : Megghen Driscoll
Product range : Classics Collection, Stone Cellars, Founders’ Estate, Knights Valley, Napa Valley, Private Reserve, Quantum, Luminous
Volume 2014 : 7.15m 9l cases
Volume 2015 : 7.27m 9l cases
Change : +2%

Founded in 1876, Beringer is Napa Valley’s oldest continuously operating winery. Owned today by Treasury Wine Estates, the company enjoyed a strong 2015, pulling in global volume sales of 7.27 million 9-litre cases, of which 2.8 million bottles were rosé. Beringer’s luxury tier accounts for 190,000 cases annually. Last March, Mark Beringer returned to his namesake estate to look after Beringer’s top tier.

Replacing Laurie Hook, Beringer described the opportunity as an “honour to step in and continue the legacy of winemaking that Beringer has long been known for”. He added: “I’m incredibly excited to craft wines that reflect the best of Napa Valley, the same sentiment that led my great-greatgrandfather, Jacob Beringer, to establish Beringer in 1876.”

Last April, in a bid to connect better with consumers, Beringer pioneered a ‘try before you buy’ scheme by which consumers could sample its Chardonnay, Cabernet and White Zinfandel – the three best-selling wines in the Beringer portfolio – in US supermarkets via ‘taste strips’.

Cementing its commitment to engaging with younger consumers, new labels for its Quantum and Luminous brands are directly aimed at millennials, who are driving wine consumption in the US. Aiming to be a ‘wine-travel-lifestyle’ brand, Beringer last year partnered with Instagram star Murad Osmann on a glossy #BetterBeckons advertising campaign shot within the Beringer estate.

9: Great Wall

Brand owner : China Foods Limited
Head office : F11, Tower A, Cofco Plaza, 8 Jianguomennei Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100005
Tel : +86 10 8500 6688
Website : greatwallwine.com.cn
Senior manager : Shu Yu
Product range : Varietal range, Château Sungod, Terroir Wine, Star Grade
Volume 2014 : 7.2m 9l cases
Volume 2015 : 7.8m 9l cases
Change : +8%

Alongside Changyu, Great Wall dominates domestic production in China with 100 wines in its portfolio and 2015 value sales of 2 billion yuan. It has recently expanded to incorporate Great Wall wines made in other parts of the world, from France and Australia to Chile.

Based in Shacheng in Hebei province in northern China, Great Wall was founded in 1983 and is a subsidiary of state-owned China Foods Limited. Its main office is situated at the foot of the Great Wall of China next to Guanting Lake.

With vineyard holdings in Shandong province, the company makes red, white, rosé, sweet, sparkling and fortified wines, which it sells at home and in 20 export markets including the UK, US, France and Germany. Its top Cabernet costs in the region of £50. A Great Wall wine was served to Barack Obama and Hu Jintao at an American state dinner in 2009 and the brand was the official wine of the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008.

Outside China the brand owns Château de Viaud in Lalande-de-Pomerol, which it bought in February 2011 for €10m, and Chile’s Bisquertt Vineyard, which it acquired at the end of 2010 for US$18m. Great Wall also benefits from the expertise of the world’s most famous wine consultant, Michel Rolland.

8: Hardys

Brand owner: Accolade Wines
Head office : Reynella Road, Reynella SA, Australia
Tel : +61 (0)8 8392 2222
Website : hardyswines.com
Brand controller : Paul Schaafsma, general manager for UK & Ireland
Product range : Voyage, Chronicles, VR, Stamp, Crest, Nottage Hill, William Hardy, Oomoo, Sir James Sparkling, Tintara, Eileen Hardy and Thomas Hardy
Volume 2014 : 9.4m 9l cases
Volume 2015 : 9.5m 9l cases
Change : +1%

On sale in 150 countries, according to Accolade’s marking director Amy White, Hardys achieved ‘consumer superbrand’ status in the UK for a third year running and grew its value sales by 10% year on year, according to Nielsen. The brand performed strongly across the globe in 2015, and is now the third-biggest selling wine brand back in Australia, where it is outperforming the market, growing its value sales by 24%.

In 2014 Hardys became an official partner of England cricket and enjoyed a successful Ashes Test last year. 2015 also saw the brand join forces with Sky Sports to sponsor its live coverage of the Ashes. It also became a partner of the MCC, owner of Lords cricket ground. In the UK a £3.5 million advertising campaign – the largest marketing investment by a wine brand in 2015 – celebrated Hardys sponsorship of the England cricket team and played on the rivalry between England and Australia.

Last year the brand stepped up its “premiumisation objective” by unveiling new labels and a tightened regional focus for its William Hardy range. Formerly labelled as simply ‘South Australia’, the Chardonnay now comes from Limestone Coast, while the Shiraz uses Langhorne Creek fruit to create “a clear and credible step up for consumers” from the brand’s Nottage Hill and Hardys Stamp ranges.

7: Sutter Home

Brand owner : Trinchero Family Estates
Head office : 100 St Helena Highway, St Helena, CA, 94574 USA
Tel : +1 707 963 3104
Website : tfewines.com
Marketing director : Wendy Nyberg
PR Director : Olivia Moser
Product range : Varietal collection, Red Blend, Sweet Red, Sweet White, Bubbly range, Sangria
Volume 2014 : 10.9m 9l cases
Volume 2015 : 10m 9l cases
Change : -8%

Ever since it introduced the world to White Zinfandel in the 1970s, this big hitter in the US market has been on the lookout for new styles. In 2014 the company added a ‘Red Blend’, a crowd-pleasing mix of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, to its books. The UK, Poland, Ireland and Canada remain Sutter Home’s largest export markets.

“We’re especially enthusiastic about strong growth in China and Canada, two key strategic priorities for international expansion in the coming years. We’re also experiencing significant momentum in Europe and Latin America, including double-digit growth in Brazil, Mexico, Germany and Austria,” revealed senior marketing manager Brie Baltzell.

In the drinks business’ most recent Global Cabernet Masters, in the under £10 bracket Sutter Home’s Cabernet Sauvignon stood out for its “juicy identifiably Cab character”, encouraging judges to single it out as a good entry point to California’s expertise with the grape.

6: Yellow Tail

Brand owner : Casella Wines
Head office : 1471 Wakley Road, Yenda, NSW 2681 Australia
Tel : +61 2 6961 3000
Website : yellowtailwine.com
Global marketing and export sales manager : Libby Nutt
Tel : +61 2 9330 4700
Product range : Varietal collection, Reserve range, Big Bold Red, Sweet White Roo, Sweet Red Roo, Bubbles range, Sangria, Bondi RD
Volume 2014 : 10.5m 9l cases
Volume 2015 : 11.5m 9l cases
Change : +9.5%

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“Yellow Tail saw steady growth in 2015 due to continued investment in the brand, a commitment to keeping the consumer at the heart of all we do and a focus on innovation,” according to global marketing and export sales manager, Libby Nutt.

The brand grew its global volume sales by 9.5% last year. No other Australian brand comes close to challenging Yellow Tail’s power base in the US market, where the vast majority of the wine is sold, leading it to account for almost half of Australia’s US wine exports.

Yellow Tail made the UK a priority market last year and hence enjoyed solid volume growth of 46% in Britain, according to Nielsen, making it the fastest growing wine brand in the UK. Among its most successful UK marketing initiatives was the ‘Grab Life by the Tail’ campaign, which included sampling activity and a social media drive.

Over in the US, TV advertising and a strong social media presence helped it achieve a solid year of sales. Brand owner Casella Family Wines has recently been moving to bolster its premium offer, snapping up prestigious Australian wine brand Peter Lehmann in 2014.

5: Robert Mondavi 

Brand owner : Constellation Brands
Head office : 7801 St. Helena Highway Oakville, CA, 94562 USA
Tel : +1 585 678 7100
Website : robertmondaviwinery.com
Constellation CEO : Robert Sands
Product range : Robert Mondavi Private Selection, Robert Mondavi Winery, Napa Valley Wines, Reserve Wines, District Wines, Spotlight Wines, Woodbridge
Volume 2014 : 12.1m 9l cases
Volume 2015 : 12m 9l cases
Change : -0.8%

Robert Mondavi put in a consistent performance in 2015, dropping its global volume sales by just 0.8%. In what should prove a massive boost for sales, last September it emerged that Chinese online retail giant Alibaba was to start selling Robert Mondavi wines to its 376 million customers via the company’s online wine store Tmall. As part of the project, all of the brands under the Mondavi umbrella, including its Napa Valley Wines, Private Selection, Twin Oaks and Woodbridge, will be sold through the ‘Mondavi flagship store’ on Tmall.

Constellation Brands’ senior vicepresident Philip Kingston is keen to build the Robert Mondavi brand in China and believes the direct to consumer route is the most effective way. The Tmall offer will focus on mid-priced wines Woodbridge and Twin Oaks as Chinese consumers continue to seek out affordable drops for everyday consumption.

This April, Robert Mondavi Winery celebrated its 50th anniversary with a three-day media event at its Napa Valley facility that included the launch of a new wine, Maestro, in honour its founder Robert Mondavi, who died in 2008 and is considered by many as the godfather of Californian wine. The wine is a 2013 Bordeaux-style red blend selected from its Oakville vineyards with an RRP of $50 and a production of 18,000 cases. Winemaker Genevieve Janssens described it as “a serious wine with a humble soul”.

4: Changyu

Brand owner : Changyu Pioneer Wine Co
Head office : 56 Dama Road, Yantai, SDG 264000, China
Tel : + 86 535 663 3658
Website : http://www.changyu.com.cn
CEO : Sun Liqiang
Product range : Château Changyu Moser, Château Changyu AFIP Global, Baron Balboa, Golden Icewine Valley, Château Changyu-Castel Co Ltd Yantai, Château Changyu Rena
Volume 2014 : 12m 9l cases
Volume 2015 : 15m 9l cases
Change : +25%

China’s oldest wine brand extended its lead over rival Great Wall considerably in 2015, selling nearly double the volume – 15 million cases to Great Wall’s 7.8m, with an impressive 25% rise in volume sales on 2014. Founded in 1819, the brand celebrated the launch of its “crown jewel” this year – a five-strong range under the Château Changyu Moser XV brand that, taking the Bordeaux model, includes ‘grand vin’ Château Changyu Moser XV Cabernet Sauvignon 2013, second wine Moser Family Cabernert Sauvignon 2013, and a three-strong varietal range, Moser XV, formed of a Cabernet, Merlot and Riesling, which launched with the 2015 vintage.

Made by Austrian Grüner Veltliner pioneer Lenz Moser, the wines are due to go on sale in the UK through Berry Bros & Rudd and Bibendum. Interestingly, the range is being launched in Europe ahead of its homeland in China, hinting at the growing importance of exports for the brand. “Changyu is motoring again in China. After a three-year slump it’s showing muscle, energy and a sense of innovation – this is why we’ve created the Château Changyu Moser XV range – the best of China has to offer,” enthused Moser.

In 2013 Changyu bequeathed him with the ultimate honour – naming its €70m French-style château in Ningxia after him in honour of his role as consultant winemaker. In return, Moser spends the entire harvest at the winery each year in order to ensure the quality from picking to bottling. Illustrating that the company is increasingly looking westwards, last December Changyu bought a 90% stake in Bordeaux Supérieur estate Château Mirefleurs from the Castel Group for €3.3m.

3: Gallo

Brand owner : E&J Gallo Winery
Head office : 600 Yosemite Boulevard Modesto, CA, 95354 USA
Tel : +1 209 341 3063
UK Tel : +44 (0)1895 813 444
Website : gallo.com
EMEA general manager : Bill Roberts
Product range : Gallo Family Vineyards, Gallo Family Vineyards Spritz, Gallo Family Vineyards Summer/Autumn, Turning Leaf, Coastal Vineyards, Signature Series
Volume 2014 : 14.5m 9l cases
Volume 2015 : 15m 9l cases
Change : +3.5%

It’s been a busy year for Californian wine juggernaut Gallo, which shook up the “light and fruity” wine category with its new Spritz range, formed of a pineapple and passionfruit flavoured Pinot Grigio and a raspberry and lime-flavoured Grenache rosé, adding £3.1 million the segment, which is now worth £104m and growing at a rate of 60%.

To coincide with the release, Gallo launched a ‘Spritz Your Summer’ marketing campaign fronted by DJ Laura Whitmore that reached over 300,000 consumers via sampling across the UK. New for this year will be a peach and nectarine variant.

This year the company is choosing to focus on its premium portfolio as it seeks to tap into the growing appetite for higher-priced wines in the UK. Both its Dark Horse and Apothic Red ‘premium’ brands performed strongly last year, with a Sauvignon Blanc and a Merlot soon to be added to the Dark Horse range. The £9.99 Apothic Red grew its sales by 27% last year, while Dark Horse saw growth of a whopping 113%.

The brand launched the Canyon Road range, formed of a Pinot Grigio, Merlot and White Zinfandel, into the UK ontrade last year as part of its shift towards premium wines. On the acquisition trail, Gallo snapped up Talbott Vineyard in Monterey last August and Orin Swift in Napa last month, tripling its production capacity in Napa while it was at it through the purchase of The Range Winery, a crush facility with a 30,000-tonne capacity.

2: Concha y Toro

Brand owner : Concha y Toro
Head office : Avenida Nueva Tajamar 481 Torre Norte, Piso 15, Santiago, Chile
Tel : +562 2476 5000
UK tel : +44 (0)1895 813444
Website : conchaytoro.com
CEO : Eduardo Guilisasti
Product range : Don Melchor, Carmín de Peumo, Gravas del Maipo, Amelia, Terrunyo, Marques de Casa Concha, Gran Reserva Serie Riberas, Casillero del Diablo, Trio, Frontera
Other group brands (not included in the ranking) : Cono Sur, Palo Alto, Viña Maipo, Maycas del Limarí, Trivento, Fetzer, Bonterra, Almaviva
Volume 2014 : 14.2m 9l cases
Volume 2015 : 15.2m 9l cases
Change : +7.1%

Chilean wine giant Concha y Toro had a year to remember for all the right reasons in 2015, with volume sales up 7% to 15.2 million cases. Flagship brand Casillero del Diablo grew by 12.6%, with global sales reaching 5 million cases. Now Chile’s top-selling wine brand in a number of global markets, this March it leapfrogged Gallo and Jacob’s Creek to become the fifth best-selling wine brand in the UK, having shifted 1.4m cases in Britain. Over in China, the brand grew by a staggering 65%.

The wider Concha y Toro group grew its revenues by 9.1% last year, with global volume sales now standing at 34.3 million cases, with 68% of sales under its own distribution. “The implementation of successful business and marketing strategies for each of the brands has allowed the company to global wine brands differentiate itself in a highly competitive industry.

The value that provides a portfolio of three origins: Chile, Argentina and the US, is significant, allowing the company to strengthen its international reach,” says Concha y Toro UK’s head of communications, Ben Smith, who reports that Concha’s greatest progress last year was in the “premium and above” wine segment, with Casillero del Diablo, Marques de Casa Concha, Cono Sur, Bonterra and Trivento Reserve all putting in a strong performance, the latter becoming the UK’s top-selling Malbec.

1: Barefoot

Brand owner : E&J Gallo Winery
Head office : 600 Yosemite Boulevard, Modesto, CA, 95354 USA
Tel : +1 209 341 3063
Website : barefootwine.com
EMEA general manager : Bill Roberts
UK Tel : +44 (0)1895 813 444
Product range : Barefoot Bubbly, Barefoot, Refresh, Impression, DOC Prosecco
Volume 2014 : 18m 9l cases
Volume 2015 : 22.5m 9l cases
Change : +26%

Barefoot had a stonking year in 2015, enlarging its footprint across the world and building on its reputation as the biggest-selling bottled wine brand on the planet. The brand, owned by E&J Gallo, grew by an impressive 26% last year, with global sales up from 18 million to 22.5m nine-litre cases, putting it significantly ahead of its nearest competitor.

Keen to remain relevant through constant reinvention, last year the brand launched a lower alcohol red, white, rosé and sweet spritzer range called Barefoot Refresh alongside 187ml bottles of best-sellers Merlot, Pinot Grigio and Pink Moscato.

Dovetailing with the launch was the Barefoot Summer Cool Down campaign, which reached over 100,000 consumers enjoying the sunshine in parks around London and the rest of the UK, with samples dispensed from branded trikes and giant cannons adding a splash of theatre by shooting out merchandise. The campaign culminated in an immersive water party at Dalston Roof Park.

Serving as a ‘gateway’ brand into the wine world, a third of Barefoot’s consumers are new to the wine category. Fresh for 2016 in the UK are a Barefoot Malbec, Pink Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay, all priced at £6.99. Keen to make the trio its priority this year, marketing director Olga Senkina reveals that Barefoot hopes to capitalise on the strength of ‘brand Malbec’.

“We believe that the Barefoot brand can re-energise the stagnant Chardonnay category, while our Malbec offers a point of difference to a varietal category in strong growth,” she says.