Zonin targets Asian audience with fresh wine selection

ITALY. Vicenza-based wine producer Casa Vinicola Zonin has launched a new wine range, Terre Palladiane, comprising three reds and two whites from selected wine-growing areas of Italy.

Zonin Export Manager Luca Ardiri presented the selection at TFWA Asia Pacific in Singapore earlier this month, telling The Moodie Report: "This is an excellent wine selection which we trust will be very well appreciated in Asia."

Terre Palladiane is the latest step forward by the family-owned Zonin in Asia, and the company has positive forecasts for the region.

Zonin has been present with Alpha in Sri Lanka since 2005 and India since mid-2007, where it is enjoying a loyal clientele. "In particular we found that promotions like 'buy two and get the third bottle free' work well in Sri Lanka," said Ardiri.

TFWA Asia Pacific was successful for the company, attracting positive interest from retailers and advancing plans to expand its duty free in new duty free markets in the Indian subcontinent and in Africa.

Zonin's Primo Amore wine selection, introduced into travel retail in April 2007, has been well received with the help of screw-cap tops, noted Ardiri: "Screw caps for medium-priced wines are gaining interest in Asia, and especially in Japan."

But for now the company is planning to stick to cork for all its other wines, sourcing it from different suppliers to provide a variety for each vintage, to minimise the risk of corking. "After all, corks still retain their appeal," Ardiri concluded.