With a history of 167 years, the Australian wine Jacob’s Creek was recently awarded as ‘Australia’s Most Trusted Wine Brand’ by Reader’s Digest. To keep the real taste of wine alive, Jacob’s Creek sources high quality grapes from different vineyards across Australia’s most Iconic wine regions, including Barossa, Adelaide Hills and Coonawarra. These regions are known for producing outstanding varietal expressions. The company offers almost all ranges of wine in the Nepali market. Alexandre Barre, Wine Ambassador of Jacob’s Creek and other wines of the Group Pernod Ricard Winemakers, was recently in Kathmandu on a business trip. New Business Age caught with Alexandre to talk about the brand and its presence in the Nepali market, market strategies among others. Excerpts:    

What brings you here?
I am in Nepal for the first time. I guess what brings my interest here is the possibility of getting closer to the people to better understand the demands, the trends but also to impart the necessary knowledge related to wine. 

How do you find the Nepali liquor market especially the wine segment? How are Jacobs Creek products performing here?
The Nepali wine market is definitely strong and growing. The awareness about wine has been increasing among Nepalis in the recent years. People are very receptive towards this category. Consumers are also showing their interest among experiencing broader range of wines. Our Nepali customers already liked our varietals such as Moscato and Shiraz. People do not mind having a bottle of wine, and understand that it can be part of any occasions or get together. 

So it is all about a mix of a good quality product and the ability of creating good memories among us which makes it popular. We are receiving excellent feedback from our Nepali customers. Jacob’s Creek is the leader in the Australian wine category. Offering different expressions of wines so that everyone can explore different flavours, aromas and textures.    

What types of wine are you selling currently in Nepal?
There are three ranges that are available here. First is the Classic range that captures the true essence of an Australian wine. We select a specific grape varietal and harvest it across different regions and vineyards in South Eastern Australia. 

Depending on where the fruit comes from, it displays different aromatics and taste profiles which are due to the climate conditions, and soil. All this will impart specific characteristics to the vine and grape. We simply capture this beautiful blend of aromatics and taste in a bottle. The Classic ranges are Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Shiraz Cabernet, Shiraz rosé, Chardonnay, Sémillon Chardonnay, Grenache Shiraz  

In terms of our Reserve range, these are single region wines produced from high quality grapes sourced from Australia’s most prestigious wine regions. These wines come from selected vineyards and plots, and tend to undergo longer maturation in oak depending on the varietal. The Reserve range showcases iconic regions such as Adelaide hills famous for producing outstanding Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. The Terra Rossa (red) soils and warm climate of Coonawarra make home to exceptional Cabernet sauvignon. And of course the Barossa valley home of Jacob’s creek, world famous for producing the best Shiraz and Rieslings in the world. 

Thirdly we have the Sparkling wines, well suited to celebrate any occasion in style. In this range we have Moscato Sparkling “sweet”, Chardonnay Pinot Noir Brut and Chardonnay Pinot Noir rosé both dry sparkling wines. 

What is so special about Jacob’s Creek products? What differentiates you from other wine brands? 
There are many reasons that make Jacob’s Creek special. For us it’s a story about people passion and hard work. But at the same time a beautiful combination of deep viticulture knowledge, respect to our environment and 160 plus years of winemaking traditions. 

What Makes Jacob’s creek special are commitments to ourselves and consumers. We aim and are committed to deliver the best quality wines to you at competitive price. We aim and our Committed to reduce energy use at the visitor center to become carbon neutral and self-sufficient by 2020. We are committed to native vegetation and reintroducing it to improve biodiversity. We are committed to generating emotions and good memories to our customers. And we want to offer our customers the possibility to explore different styles, taste and aromas. 

Any new products you are launching this year?
If I tell you it wouldn’t be a surprise anymore. There is a wide range available to discover.

What will be your marketing strategies for the brand promotion in Nepal?
We will be reinforcing our brand presence here and keep growing our footprint which of course involves many aspects. One of them is supporting the growing interest in wine with education, as we consider it to be the foundation of many things. The objective is for everyone to feel more comfortable and confident about the subject. Paralleled to this the teams and I have a clear vision for this market. We really want to bring good moment to Nepal.