A journey into wine that started in 1837 by Gramp and Sons was officially branded as ‘Jacob’s Creek’ in 1976 with a 1973 vintage blend of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. Jacob’s Creek sources high quality grapes from different vineyards across Australia’s iconic wine regions, including Barossa, Adelaide Hills and Coonawarra. Jacob’s Creek is produced by Orlando Wines, a wholly owned subsidiary of Pernod Ricard. Pernod Ricard, a leading name in the global wine industry offers a range of international wines in the Nepali market as well. 

Alex Heslop, brand ambassador of Pernod Ricard Gulf, was recently in Kathmandu to promote the company’s different wines. New Business Age caught up with Heslop and talked about Nepal’s wine market and the company’s future plans. Excerpts:

What brings you to Nepal?
I serve as the brand ambassador to the Gulf region for the company Pernod Ricard. I am very excited to be here in Nepal to promote the brand locally.

How is Jacob’s Creek wine performing in the Nepali market? How is its market coverage?
It’s really impressive. We have fantastic distribution across the country. Jacob’s Creek is a leading brand here. It serves as a premium brand for the region. Despite the presence of domestic wine companies here, Jacob’s Creek is a leading wine brand in the country. 

We have a substantial market share in Nepal’s wine market. Jacob’s Creek is the largest selling wine brand in Nepal. In the premium segment, Jacob’s Creek serves a high brand of wine both in classic and original range. In my view,one of the great things about Jacob’s Creek is that we offer a large product range at different price ranges to meet different consumer taste and needs. 

Which are the most selling segments of Jacob’s Creek wine here in Nepal?
I have seen consumers here enjoying varieties of sweet wine. Tropical flavoured wine is also appealing to consumers. Consumers also appreciate red wine, Shiraz and Cabernet. Likewise, there is a strong market for Riesling and Chardonnay wines. 

In your opinion, what are the contributing factors in Jacob’s Creek’s success? 
The core principal of our company is to produce a large range of wines at price point styles – at prices where demand is expected to stay relatively high. We stand out different from other wine brands due to our large range and for the reason that we source raw materials from the best regions of Australia to produce remarkable wines. 

What marketing strategies are you employing for the promotion of your brand in Nepal? Are there any expansion plans?
At the moment, Jacob’s Creek is looking to engage with consumers. We are in the premium segment and are receiving a warm response. However, we are looking to encourage our customers to try and enjoy the different ranges of wine that we offer. At the end of the day, wine is much enjoyed with good food and good company where good wine is a must.

In terms of local marketing strategy,we are store branding our line of products. We have also organised numerous wine-testing sessions and plan to continue it. Nepal is a young wine market and making people get a frequent taste of wine is crucial.  

We have some products coming soon. In particular, we are looking at launching wines from Pernod Ricard that don’t have low acidity level compared to Riesling Blanc or Sauvignon Blanc. They can be served best with spicy food. We will be introducing other brands as well in the wine portfolio. We are excited about expanding our portfolio here. There is also market potential for Argentinean and Spanish wine brands and diversification of premium market segments.