Treasury launches rosé wine for younger females

Treasury Wine Estates latest launch Bella Vie, a rosé wine targeting young female consumers, will not be released to major multiples.
 
The 11% abv white zinfandel rose from the Puglia region of Italy, will launch in the impulse channel only from April 18, rrp £6.99. It has been in development for the past 16 months, and by the end of the summer TWE will have spent around £400,000 on developing and marketing the sweet, fruity rosé.

Senior innovation manager Rachel Hawes said if the launch is successful, TWE will look at launching into the on-trade, smaller serves, and expanding the range to include other varietals - a sparkling version is likely to be next.

TWE is aiming to sell 200,000 bottles in year one - "we're not looking at massive volumes", said Hawes. She said it was difficult to build a brand in multiples retailers. "If we went after the big grocers it would come down to price. We've been building relationships in the impulse sector and if it went into multiples it wouldn't do our relationships with any favours," she added.

The launch will be supported through a microsite, which goes live at the end of April, and a Facebook page. It is also seeking tie-ins with third parties, including OK magazine and fashion label Lipsy. There will be on-pack promotions and the product will be advertised on branded taxis.

The bottle design features an illustration of a woman, complete with a silver badge, which Hawes said provided consumers with quality reassurance. She said TWE's research showed that the badge reassured consumers it was "decent wine, not vile and not going to make them feel ill".

The wine has been sourced from Italy rather than California, given TWE's already "strong networks" there as well as its proximity to the UK, which will help the brand to react quickly to the market.