I Heart Wines sells over 31m bottles in 2020

Over 31 million bottles of I Heart Wines were sold last year, with the wine brand doubling its international sales and increasing its UK presence.

The brand, which is owned by Freixenet Copestic, sold over 23m bottles in the UK last year, with a retail sales value surpassing £100m. Having launched in the market in 2011, the brand is now worth some £116m and is growing at a rate of 22% year-on-year.

The portfolio comprises the I Heart Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc – Marlborough, Chardonnay, Riesling, Rosé, Mediterranean Rosé, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Pinot Noir, Malbec, Malbec – Argentina and Rioja as well as sparkling wines I Heart Prosecco, Prosecco Rosé, Italian Sparkling Rosé, Cava, Asti and Champagne. The range also includes an I Heart Gin and an I Heart Pink Gin.

In the Netherlands, the wine brand has doubled its sales year-on-year and reached more people through the creation of new social media channels. It is having similar success in the Czech Republic, where it was launched a few years ago, increasing sales by 62% year-on-year.

In Ireland, sales of I Heart surpassed two million bottles, a rise of 165% compared to 2019. Austria also saw sales rocketing by over 150%. Elsewhere, sales have quadrupled year-on-year in markets including China and the Middle East, while volume sales have tripled since 2019 in Mexico.

The brand is now rolling into new markets including Brazil, Scandinavia, South Korea and Australia, and is now stocked in Shell shops in Germany from this year.

Last year, the brand predicted it would sell a total of 25m bottles.

Dr. Andreas Brokemper, CEO of Henkell Freixenet, commented: “For I Heart Wines, the focus has been always on the consumer: good quality at a good price. Consumers in more and more countries appreciate this. With our global organisation, we want to consistently further internationalise I Heart Wines and have good ideas for the portfolio. Maybe one day we will partner with a world class winery such as Château Lafite, Marchese Antinori or even Schloss Johannisberg. With I Heart Champagne, we have already entered into the premium wine market. Sometimes ‘simple’ is simply superior.”

Robin Copestick, managing director of Freixenet Copestick who helped create I Heart Wines, said the company wanted I Heart to be a top five wine brand in the UK (it is currently in the top 10 according to IRI data from December 2020) and within the top 100 global brands.

He added: “It was our dream from the beginning to create a brand by consumers for consumers. And so we came up with the idea of creating a customer-oriented wine portfolio based on consumer preferences in terms of grape variety and origin, ranging from Pinot Grigio to Champagne and Prosecco. To this day, I Heart Wines is always thinking about the consumer who is looking for uncomplicated enjoyment at a fair price. We carry this at the heart of the brand. We aim to offer an enjoyable experience with a young, fresh design without overwhelming the consumer.

“For I Heart Wines to be selling over 31 million bottles around the world is an incredible achievement especially as we still have not celebrated our 10th birthday. I am confident that this exponential growth will continue both in the UK and the rest of the world.”