First Cape pledges to cut its alcohol content

Published: 01 December, 2011

First Cape is planning to remove 50 million units of alcohol from its wines over the next three years, says the brand's owner, Brand Phoenix.

It has pledged, under the government's Responsibility Deal, to greatly reduce the number of units. It will mean lowering the abv by 0.8% across the group's full-strength wine range - this won't include the 5.5% abv Café Collection.

Back in March, Heineken pledged to remove 100 million units from its beers by 2013, but First Cape is the first wine company to guarantee it will cut unit content.

The group is using its sponsorship of the British & Irish Lions rugby team to support the responsible drinking message. Brand Phoenix's joint founder Steve Barton said the sponsorship "couldn't come at a better time", following the recent furore over the England rugby team's drinking at the Rugby World Cup.

"They [rugby teams] are hugely powerful sporting fraternities and they need to present themselves better to the public," he said. Part of the deal will see the team "embracing" the responsible drinking message "on the tour and beyond", Barton maintained.

First Cape announced the move yesterday at a varsity rugby match, when Edinburgh faced St Andrews. The match was supported by First Cape as part of a series of initiatives.

"I don't know what more brands can do to address this issue than through pledges and sponsorships like these," said Barton, adding that "there will always be detractors of the alcohol industry".

First Cape lined up key figures for the launch including Jeremy Beadles, the WSTA's outgoing chief executive, and Sir Ian McGeechan, head coach of the 2009 Tour to South Africa.

Café Collection brand ambassador and star of Strictly Come Dancing, Alesha Dixon, also attended.

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