Concha y Toro leads still wine market growth in 2018

South American wine producer Concha y Toro’s value grew just over 18.3% in the last 12 weeks of 2018, leading a steadily growing still wine market

Overall, still wine grew 2.2% in the 12 weeks to January 2018, with Concha y Toro’s growth ahead of suppliers Kingsland, Casella and E&J Gallo, according to data from Nielsen. Concha y Toro’s brands made an extra £14.4 million compared to the same period in 2017.

“These excellent figures are very much a result of having a consistent business strategy,” UK commercial director Claire Griffiths said. “We are completely focused on adding value to the category by having brands that appeal to consumer needs and occasions.”

Griffiths told the drinks business Conch y Toro’s success has come in-part from the company’s focus on marketing its flagship brands Casillero del Diablo, Cono Sur and Trivento.

“We launched Trivento at a time when Malbec was still in its infancy,” Griffiths said.

“Over the past few years we’ve carried out extensive research into who is the Malbec consumer in the UK.”

It was this research which led to Concha y Toro striking a sponsorship deal with Aviva Premiership Rugby in 2014, a partnership it extended into the 2016/17 season.

“We recognised that if we wanted to really build the brand we had to target the consumer,” she said.

The wine giant changed tact last year, and announced it would sponsor the Discovery Channel in April.

Trivento showed the highest sales by value of any Argentine brand in the UK in the 12 weeks to January 2019, according to Nielsen data.

In a wine market threatened by tariff hikes and Brexit uncertainty, Griffiths said creating a loyal customer base is crucial to Conch y Toro’s survival, particularly as the producer encourages its fans to trade-up to more premium wines within the range.

“One of the things we have focused on since 2013 is how to add value to the category,” she said.

“We want to make sure our consumers have options within our brand identity, so they can use us for their everyday wines but also for an occasion.”

Griffiths added that the brand will also release a Pinot Grigio this year to cater for a fragmented market, but despite a rising trend for experimentation amongst Argentinian winemakers, the commercial director said Trivento’s success lies in consistency instead of innovation.

“We take the view that if something’s working, why change it?”

“The Malbec we produce has the quality our consumers are looking for,” she said. “We certainly look at trends, but when it comes to Trivento there’s no immediate change on the horizon.”