This year’s winners of the annual 31 Days of German Riesling competition has put a spotlight on just how much businesses have adapted during the pandemic, using often imaginative ways to bring German Riesling to a wider audience.
The 2020 campaign, organised by Wines of Germany, took place just as lockdown was easing across the country in July, with Brigitte Bordeaux Wines (off-trade), Humble Grape, (on-trade) and The Wine Barn (online Merchant) taking home the top spots.
“Ingenuity” was the key characteristic of this year’s campaign, Wines of Germany said, with innovation coming both as a result and in spite of a challenging industry landscape.
On-trade runner up BOX-E in Bristol for example, re-opened its doors on 4 July by becoming a bottle shop to showcase its wines as part of the 31 Days campaign.
The business offered 10 different German Rieslings both to sample and buy.
Specialist German importer, The Wine Barn, focused on a direct-to-consumer campaign via three mixed cases, while The Humble Grape organised a winemaker chat on Instagram Live and used its new app to share educational information with customers.
Nicky Forrest, MD of Wines of Germany UK said: “It was an exciting year to see retailers jumping straight in to celebrate 31 Days of German Riesling and adapt their way of promoting wine in line with what the country was experiencing.
“It was also great to see restaurants who opened up their doors for the first time in months able to join in and bring some brilliant creativity to the campaign. There was an increased focus on ecommerce and it is clear that online channels will only continue to grow. Thank you to all retailers and on-trade partners who participated this year and more to come in 2021!’
Now in its ninth year, the 2020 campaign saw over 100 independent wine merchants and restaurants take part across 60 towns and cities.
According to Wines of Germany, participants reported selling up to six times as much German Riesling in the month of July compared to June.
A social media influencer campaign also reached over four million consumers.
This year’s winners were as follows:
Winners:
Brigitte Bordeaux Wines – Off-Trade
Humble Grape – On-Trade
The Wine Barn – Online Merchant
Runners up:
Wine Poole Ltd – Off-Trade
BOX-E – On-Trade
Jascots Wine Merchants – Online Merchant
Top photo shows a mural of the Mosel to celebrate the 31 Days of German Riesling at Brigitte Bordeaux Wines in Nottingham