LWF: Lanchester adds Vintrigue to its wines

By Andrew Catchpole

Published: 06 May, 2016

Bringing together elements of craft beer-style presentation and carbon neutral supply, Lanchester Wines launched its Vintrigue range of wines at London Wine Fair.

Sporting catchy labels including Ten Pound Poms and The Speakeasy Club, for Australian and South American wines respectively, commercial director Richard Thorburn explained that all the wine sunder the Vintrigue umbrella have been designed in response to trend forecasting that goes far beyond wine, looking at general lifestyle and packaging cues.

The various labels under the Vintrigue umbrella are part of a broader, growing trend in the trade to innovate and better engage with consumers to draw them in to the wine category at a time when craft beers and spirits are winning market share.

"Innovation in wine is a very difficult thing because the packaging and product haven't really changed in 100s of years," said Thorburn.

"In the supermarkets there is a lot of repetition of brands and varieties on the shelves, so there is a clear opportunity to do something different, and by looking at wider lifestyle trends, rather than just focusing on wine, to deliver appealing and accessible wines."

In doing so, Lanchester is looking to compete with well-established brands, with Thorburn citing the £7 to £10 price bracket as an area where the Vintrigue focus on story and design, coupled with a flexible sourcing approach to deliver quality in the bottle, can win listings and customers.

The reduction and neutralisation of carbon footprint is also aimed at playing a significant part in the on-going consumer appeal of these wines.

Part of this approach involves buying what Thorburn describes as "boutique bulk", meaning that Lanchester will buy from smaller and independent producers for the variety of wines in a given Vintrigue range.

"Australia, in particular, is a good example, being awash with a lot of high quality wine about that you can source from good smaller and family-run wineries, so deliver that quality in the bottle," said Thorburn.

Lanchester has grown in 30 years from being a small regional wholesaler in the North East to a countrywide supplier, with the acquisition of the failing D&D business in 2012 being a catalyst that has accelerated the company's growth over the past three years.

"We cover all market sectors, from retail, on-trade and online to wholesale, but there is a lag between the perception of us still being a regional company and where we stand today," said Thorburn.

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