New optimism for premium White Blends
In June 2024, the inaugural Fine Wine Awards crowned Spier’s Frans K Smit White 2018 with a glowing 96 out of 100 and the trophy for best of the White Blends. It was one of only two wines to receive such a high score in the prestigious competition, putting the entire White Blends category in a positive light.
The underlying message to premium producers is clear – for superbly made White Blends there’s potential to be tapped. This is especially pertinent considering the White Blends category has been historically underserved, if you’ll pardon the pun.
While the overall market for White Blends shows a decline, the sales statistics from technology, data, and analytics provider Circana indicate that White Blends in the +R100 per bottle category are growing. While the latter is currently worth R2 million per year, this growth could be accelerated via increased consumer interest.
‘Back in 2008, there was enormous interest in the potential of the white Bordeaux-style wines being produced in South Africa… There would certainly be a market for these wines overseas, and it is a pity they have not been welcomed to a wider degree by local wine drinkers,’ states Ginette de Fleuriot, Wine Education and Training Manager at Vinimark.
Changing perceptions could be key to success. White wine as a whole carries less prestige in consumers’ minds than red wine, and within white wine, the blends tend to hold less perceived value than single cultivars. Even bottom-end red blends in the sub-R80 band sell three times more than bottom-end White Blends.
‘For many years, blends were seen as the bottom of the barrel, leftover wine. We know now that this is not the case,’ says Spier cellar master Johan Jordaan. ‘White varieties all have their distinct character. To optimise the taste profile, one of the best ways is to blend with other varieties. Hence the reason for a Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon blend for example. To temper the high acidity and linear finish of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon is added for depth and complexity in the wine, making it a far better experience.’
If blends offer more depth and complexity than single varietal whites, it stands to reason that they should cost a little more than they do now and be perceived more positively. There are several strategies wine brands can adopt to generate more interest in the premium end of the category and suggested solutions were put forward by members of the industry at a Vinimark masterclass hosted by de Fleuriot. The consensus was that producers need to educate consumers around the value of their more premium products to alter perception and build prestige.
‘Use your activations with brand ambassadors,’ is the advice of Lynton Kaiser of Boekenhoutskloof. ‘If you have white blend, then talk about it, educate people about it. It doesn’t help to not promote it.’
Boekenhoutskloof’s popular The Wolftrap White is a blend of 35% Viognier, 33% Chenin Blanc, 32% Grenache Blanc. It is rated 92/100 by wine critic Christiaan Eedes and awarded 4 stars by Platter’s South African Wine Guide. It retails at an accessible average price of ±R75 per bottle, making it excellent value for money.
Well-known wine writer and podcaster Jono Le Feuvre often cheekily inserts The Wolftrap White into a serious blind tasting and observes time and time again how the wine holds its own. Le Feuvre suggests using the term ‘flagship white’ to elevate the status of the more deserving White Blends, and to display them prominently at wine shows. He also proposes creating food and wine pairings that will show the versatility of a blend to best effect.
To create more visibility for White Blends within retail outlets, Vinimark’s Brand Portfolio Director Helen Kock suggests ‘merchandising the variety-led blends together with their lead variety. For instance, a Chenin-dominant blend could be merchandised next to the single varietal Chenin Blancs.’ This holds logic for the consumer who already knows and buys Chenin Blanc and might want to try something that tastes very similar, but with that little bit ‘extra’ for novelty.
Another route to market is to reclassify the blends as single varieties (currently, a wine only needs to contain 85% or more of a single variety to be labelled as such). For example, the Groote Post Seasalter Sauvignon Blanc is sold as a single cultivar but is in fact a blend of 90% Sauvignon Blanc and 10% Semillon. It won double gold at the 2022 Veritas Awards, silver at the 2023 Concours Mondial du Sauvignon and bronze at the 2023 Investec Trophy Wine Show.
The team behind the Leeuwenkuil Reserve White has also made the decision to reclassify locally and internationally. Says Kara van Zyl, Marketing Manager for Leeuwenkuil: ‘Some of our team members believe the Reserve White should be called Reserve Chenin Blanc. At present it is 85% Old Vine Chenin and we just add a few little interesting bits for balance and complexity.’
Reclassification can create advantages in the international market. According to Jordaan, ‘Total Wine, one of the biggest and most successful wine retailers in the USA, categorises wines by the dominant varietal, unless it is a specific style of blend, like a white Bordeaux or white Rhône, where there are several varieties. For example, a Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon blend will be merchandised along with the Sauvignon Blanc wines, with mention that it is a blend, with percentages on the back label. Chardonnay blends will be in the Chardonnay section.’
Putting paid to the misperception that White Blends are somehow lacking, there are many celebrated examples that carry the category forward. These wines are deserving of their space and place on shelf, and in wine lovers’ hearts. That the premium band in this market segment is managing to grow largely without concentrated support, is a gap on which perceptive brands, equipped with an excellent White Blend and the right marketing tools and distribution partner in place, can capitalise to their advantage.
/ends.
