Lighter style wine up 61% in off-trade

Published: 13 October, 2011

Lighter styles of wine are streaking ahead of more traditional bottles in the off-trade - up 61% according to the latest Nielsen data.

FirstCape's 5.5% abv Café Collection is growing by 152% and accounts for more than half of the category's sales, say the latest statistics to September 3 2011.

Steve Rosser, joint UK director of Brand Phoenix said: "In only 20 months, our Café Collection already stands as the 25th largest selling wine brand in the grocery channel. It is the largest selling lighter style wine with a 57% market share and retail value of £18 million. Our FirstCape lighter style sparkling range is also the fastest growing sparkling brand in the UK."

"Given the consumer trend towards lighter abv products coupled with the inflationary pressures of the FX and duty, this lighter style category is set to become extremely powerful."

Brand Phoenix is investing £2 million in the range over the next 24 months, including signing up celebrity ambassador Alesha Dixon.

A flurry of new lighter-style wine brands have come on the market in the last few months, with more in development. Yesterday Sainsbury's announced it planned to double the sales of lighter alcohol wine (10.5% abv) by 2020.

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