Treasury Wine Estates has launched the first Penfolds wines to use Californian grapes.
As the group battles new tariffs that have effectively cut off the China market to Australian wine imports, TWE today unveiled a four-strong range of Penfolds-branded red wines made from predominantly Napa Valley Cabernet parcels. The two higher-priced expressions in the new California Collection are blended with a smaller quantity of South Australian Shiraz, meaning they are not exclusively Californian wines.
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TWE instead described the Quantum Bin 98 and Bin 149 varietals as “wines of the world”.
The launch follows a strategy pivot from TWE in 2018 to start sourcing grapes for Penfolds from wine regions other than Australia. Over the past three years, Penfolds winemakers have sourced grapes from Californian vineyards including in the Oakville, Diamond Mountain District, Howell Mountain and Rutherford areas. Grapes were also sourced from vine cuttings planted in 1998 and 1999 that were originally taken from Penfolds wineries in Australia in the 1980s.
The Penfolds California Collection is available from March and will roll out across the world.
The range comprises:
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By GlobalData- 2018 Quantum Bin 98 Cabernet Sauvignon – UK SRP of GBP545 (US$755) per 75cl bottle, GBP1,190 per magnum
- 2018 Bin 149 Cabernet Sauvignon – UK SRP of GBP125 per 75cl bottle, GBP275 per magnum
- 2018 Bin 704 Cabernet Sauvignon – UK SRP of GBP60 per 75cl bottle, GBP125 per magnum
- 2018 Bin 600 Cabernet Shiraz – UK SRP of GBP45 per 75cl bottle, GBP100 per magnum
TWE today released six-month results that highlighted the loss at the end of last year of the China market due to new tariffs. The group’s Asia region reported an 18.1% slide in the six months to the end of December.
Australian wine pays price for China tariffs as December exports collapse – data
