| Launched by the big Burgundy producer Boisset at a news conference in Toronto on Tuesday, the C$14.95 brand, which includes a merlot, a pinot noir, a chardonnay and a sauvignon blanc, is being test-marketed in the experimental-packaging haven of Ontario before a planned global rollout.
Yellow may have become a trendy colour and Carte Blanche for the two wines, Yellow Jersey also takes its name from the top worn by the leader in the Tour de France, the world famous bicycle racing event which takes off from England next month. Perhaps, France has rung the bell, announcing it is back in wine marketing race.
The minimalist label depicts a simple silhouette of a shirt and the words "Yellow Jersey" run in plain block letters just below.
Most unusual, though, is the plastic bottle, which has been moulded with an embossed pattern of tiny jerseys all around it, akin to the easy-grip rubber nubs sticking out from an electric shaver.
"We wanted to have some fun with it, bring some more people in to drinking wine, like athletes and people who enjoy outdoor sports," Jean-Charles Boisset, president of Boisset, La Famille des Grands Vins, said in an interview on Monday before the launch.
Wolf Blass of Australia launched the world's first full-size plastic wine bottle last year. Jean-Charles says his new product comes with a few innovative twists. The sporty, non-slip bottle is intended to be refilled with water or juice. It's even sized to fit snugly in a bicycle's water-bottle holder.
Boisset concedes that Yellow Jersey is likely to evoke memories of superstar U.S. cyclist Lance Armstrong, who dominated the French race for seven years.
Byzantine labels that alienate consumers have been only one of the many problems France is facing. Massive overproduction - much of it in the form of uncompetitive plonk - and a sharp decline in domestic wine consumption are big headaches. That has led to widespread panic, particularly in the wine-dependent economies of Bordeaux and the vast southern swath known as Languedoc-Roussillon.
This year marks the centennial of a similar uprising in 1907, sparked by phylloxera, which wiped out virtually the entire region's vines. Hundreds of thousands of farmers took to streets in Montpellier and other cities across the south before the government sent in troops, resulting in five deaths. Signs have sprouted up over the past year proclaiming the ghostly return of the 1907 uprising's jailed leader, Marcellin Albert.
Two years ago, it teamed up with the Liquor Control Board of Ontario to become the first French winery to launch a premium, vintage-dated wine in a cardboard Tetra Pak. The $13-a-litre brand, French Rabbit, has since expanded to other provinces and countries, including the United States , Ireland and, just six weeks ago, France , where it goes by the English name.
"The yellow jersey is the symbol of the ultimate winner and the ultimate leader."
It's also the colour of the sun, suggesting warmth and cheer, which works well for a lifestyle product like wine. Research shows yellow is especially popular with North American consumers, too, though precisely why is unclear.
Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com
|
