Wine and fruit fusions - I'm too old apparently
"It might be sacrilege to some but it sells." Drinks International
We were in Dan's today buying some bargain Chateau Tahbilk Marsanne, an Australian classic that I should write about some time. As we were wandering the aisles looking for it I noticed three different brands of wine/fruit fusions. There on the shelf with genuine but more unusual wine were wine/fruit fusions from Sweet Lips (Warburn Estate apparently), Hardy's and Banrock Stations which are both in the Accolade wines stable.
Here is a selection of what was on offer:
Sweet Lips:
"Lower in alcohol with a light bubble, the layered flavours have a hint of sweetness and are perfect as is – or, on really hot days, pour over ice, add a twist of lime or a chosen fruit – the choice is yours. Sweet Lips Infusions are so much more than a wine."
So says their blurb - they are all white wine based - yes even the pink one (and they don't specify what kind of white wine) and have the following flavours: Mango Elderflower & Passionfruit; Hibiscus Pomegranate & Lime; Mango Ginger & Lemongrass; Orange Blossom & Nutmeg. So much more complicated than strawberry or apple.
Their marketing blurb is much more basic: "Your favourite Banrock Station wine with the tasty addition of natural flavours and juices." Which is interesting in itself. And their flavours too are not just simple strawberry: White wine with pineapple and coconut; White wine with tropical fruits; Red wine with raspberry and blackcurrant; Rosé with pink and white grapefruit; Rosé with summer berries. And interestingly they seem to be putting the wine before the fruit whereas Sweet Lips barely mentioned wine at all and then only to hint that it was so much better than wine.
Hardy's Hidden Orchard
As you can see these are simpler flavours. And the name is interesting - 'hidden' orchard because they are indeed hidden, which is probably not the intent of the name. I suppose it's trying to say it's a subtle extra taste? They may be on Dan Murphy's shelves but you can't find them on the Hardy's website or the Accolade one either. And indeed if you look at 'all' Hardy's product on Dan Murphy's website they don't come up there either. Are they ashamed of them?
Because it's not real wine is it? Mind you when you think on it a bit more it's not quite that odd. I mean remember all those bits of blurb on the back of the wine bottles that go on about hints of citrus and peach, mango, gooseberry and honey. Not sure I remember coconut, elderflower or hibiscus - or nutmeg though. In a way it's a sort of back to the future thing. Remember Mateus Rosé and all those sweet white wines that you bought in cheap wine shops - tiger milk et al. I have not tried any of these fruit fusions but I imagine they are sweetish. And some are even completely alcohol free - well not the ones shown above, but some in England apparently are. They are lower in alcohol though and there's a lot of emphasis on 'natural' and 'fresh'. I'm not attracted - but then they are not aimed at me.
"the fruit infused wine category is one to watch, with retailers and suppliers who are looking to capture that 18 to 35-year-old female demographic, or entice new entrants into the wine market." The Shout
Which is a bit sexist is it not? They're probably right though. I can't see macho teenage boys being attracted. Mind you they also seem to be aimed at millennials in general and particularly those who are currently drinking craft ciders and beers. For some of these have also gone down the fruit track. They are actually trying to entice them into buying wine, for I gather wine is in a tiny bit of a decline. I guess it's a potentially successful way to go. I mean you might then go to Moscato, Prosecco and then to bubbly in general and ever onwards until you end up drinking shiraz. I guess, if I think about it, that is sort of what happened to me. My alcoholic introduction began with cider and beer and horrible mixes then proceeded to the cheap and inevitably sweetish wines that we could afford. It was only when we came to Australia that we branched out into more mainstream wine. Cost is definitely a factor. When you are young you have less money and these bottles cost less than $10.00.
“Fruit flavoured wines tend to be purchased by newbies to wine who generally aren’t keen on the taste. The highly aromatised styles with marked levels of sweetness appeal to this type of palate.” Alison Flemming
Now I noticed these wines on the main shelves of Dan Murphy's but apparently another aspect of the marketing focus is to put them in the chilled section with the craft ciders and beers, so that people may be tempted.
“What we're trying to do is disrupt the normal buying pattern of consumers because many of them aren't necessarily going into a liquor store to buy wine. They are often heading to the fridge section to buy either cider or craft beers, so our intent is to disrupt that purchase cycle and show them that this could be a stepping stone into wine.” Travis Fuller Accolade Wines
I gather these things are huge in England - Echo Falls - another Accolade brand is the market leader there. And it's not new. As usual I am way behind. This is a trend that began back in 2015 - three years ago, and I've only just noticed it - but then I'm not a millennial.
