Accolade launches mid-tier Australian wines

Published: 05 March, 2012

Accolade is launching a new mid-tier to its Australian wine range to act as a bridge between its Nottage Hill and Hardys Ooomoo wines.

Accolade is launching a new mid-tier to its Australian wine range to act as a bridge between its Nottage Hill and Hardys Oomoo wines.

The new William Hardy range also marks winemaker, Bill Hardy's, 40th year anniversary with the winery.

He has personally blended two varieties, a Chardonnay and Shiraz, to hit the RRP of £9.99 in the UK.

The wines will have a soft roll out in 2011 with 40,000 cases produced (20,000 each for the two wines) with at least double production planned for the next vintage.

The wines are going to be initially introduced for the first two months via the travel retail market, before being introduced to the UK with an un-named Big Four supermarket.

At today's range launch at Prowein trade fair in Dusseldorf, Hardy said: "You normally have to wait until you are dead before you have a wine named after you."

He was particularly excited by the blends he has created for the two wines as they are a combination of cool climate and around 20% warm climate grapes to gives them an easy, drinking approachable style, yet with complexity to give them greater depth and mouth feel.

"I always say you blend at the entry level for simplicity and at premium level for complexity. These wines sit inbetween those. I have really enjoyed the blending challenge with these wines. The opportunities are endless with blending. It is like a chef adding extra ingredients and spices."

The William Hardy range is the first launch to the brand's core range for 10 years, according to Accolade's European general manager, James Lousada.

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