IT IS not just the quality of what is in the bottle that is up for debate as Coonawarra wineries hone their products to target burgeoning Chinese exports.
In a competitive global market, labels and sealing methods are also a key focus to attract the attention of consumers and find a niche in the market.
Screw cap is the wine industry’s current choice for sealing wine, especially in Coonawarra, however one winery has maintained tradition by corking its wines, finding acceptance of the method in China.
The team at Highbank Wines, led by winemaker Dennis Vice, proudly cork their product to further appeal to the Asian export market.
Mr Vice said he was aware Chinese customers preferred to purchase and drink premium wines sealed with cork.
“Over the years we have been able to determine the United States, Asian and European markets all prefer corks in their premium wines,” he said.
“This is mainly because it is the traditional method and is historically preferred, to them the best wines are corked.”
Over Highbank’s 30 years in business the winery has exported to 30 different countries.
“We have always kept our wines under cork to maintain that premium status across the globe,” Mr Vice said.
“We are a quiet achiever in the area but we have definitely made a name for ourselves.”
He said in Australia, a wine label was considered a legal document.
“Whatever goes on a label must be legitimate because it holds the power to bring people to the region,” Mr Vice said.
“We discovered many of our Chinese customers responded well to our label.
“The Highbank label states the wine has been made with grapes from the Single Vineyard and when our customers come to Coonawarra they want to visit that specific vineyard.”
But DiGiorgio Family Wines manager Frank DiGiorgio discovered a slight change in the Chinese market during his visit to the country as part of the City of Mount Gambier’s recent delegation.
He made the journey to continue to assess consumer expectations, market demands and opportunities to move more Coonawarra wine into China.
One discovery he made was the market was becoming more open to screw caps.
“We have noticed the market becoming more accepting of screw caps within in the last few years,” Mr DiGiorgio said.
“Firstly, because they are realising it is indeed a good closure for wine and secondly because it adds some authenticity to the product.
“They want to drink the same wine we drink.”
Mr DiGiorgio said his label once produced both screw cap and cork sealed wines.
“There was a period of time where we were using both closures, cork for export and screw cap for domestic,” he said.
“Now our customers prefer their product packaged the same as ours.”
While the debate might be out on what seals sectors of the market prefer, Coonawarra remains a leader in the nation’s wine sector and business operators are bound to keep seeking their own point of difference to stand out from the crowd on shelves.
and screw top in the Asian export market.
