Penfolds Bin release: Looks like my sources were correct….
After first letting slip the rumour that Treasury Wine Estates staff were seen filling their cars with Penfolds Bin wines, it looks like that rumour has been confirmed today….
From milk wars to wine wars at Coles
What is even more interesting is that I was contacted by an (anonymous) reader of this blog who claimed to be well versed with the TWE side of the affair. This person asked that no part of their (interesting) clarifying email(s) be republished on here, which I’m still going to abide by, even though this person did vehemently deny the ‘car boot of 389’ story detailed above.
The affirmation of this rumour does however suggest is that TWE is taking a much more proactive approach than they normally would with their brands. Could they be back on the up again? I sense some firmer hands on the TWE tiller than there has been in previous years, which can only be a good thing for the wine industry.
Talking about firmer hands, it looks like the proactive approach is going all the way to the top (Fosters) according to this article. Suffice to say that it will be interesting times ahead if the suppliers vs supermarkets war heats up. With luck it will all lead to a more diversified (and healthier) wine industry.
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2 Comments
It's going to be interesting to watch how the whole beer thing plays out and I think that will ultimately dictate the direction that Coles and Woolworths take with the wine as well. What I'm not clear on is what is actually being withheld – I've heard Carlton and VB so no great loss there. I'd be interested to see where they stand on the more "boutique" brands like the Matilda Bay and the brewed under licence brands like Stella or Guinness. I wonder how the Coopers or Lion Nathan people are viewing this as well.
The less VB on the shelves the better. It might encourage some to be a bit more adventurous, although I'm probably dreaming if I think they're going to swap VB for some Trappist ale or German Weizen I suppose … But if they swap VB for Coopers, that's a start!
MichaelC