“US consumers are far more sophisticated than most Australians realise,” says Peter. “If you want to market wine in the USA, ditch your stereotypes, stop being patronising, and give them the best you have to offer – regardless of the product type.” 

Rich but Not Dumb

In early export adventures, many Australian wineries were eager to tap into a wealthy market, but, says Peter, many of them underestimated savvy US consumers. 

“There’s already a perception in the USA that Aussies are going to try and fob them off with cheap and cheerful wines. They don’t want that. Send inferior wines to the US and you will lose out. This is a market that appreciates quality, and if you offer them a half-hearted excuse for a wine, you’re not only going to lose money, you’re also going to make it more difficult for Australian wineries that offer a really good product.”

“To put this even more bluntly,” says Peter, “The USA is rich, but not dumb. You don’t get rich without having smarts, and the USA has them.”

Don’t Think Economy Class

Exporting wine and being ready to comply with the plethora of regulatory requirements for packaging and selling wine in the USA is not a low-cost exercise, warns Peter. “People often think that the US is the US, but then they encounter the fact that each state has its own rules and regulations regarding wine packaging and wine sales. The USA has 50 states, and in reality, that’s like getting ready to sell to 50 different countries.”

“With the cost markup this entails, some Australian wineries seem to have decided that sending cheap wine – and marketing massive volumes of it – would make up for the fact that ‘cheap’ Australian wine is no longer cheap when it arrives in the USA. They were mistaken. If you fly to the US and want to travel economy class, that’s your business. But if you want to take your business to the US, economy class products aren’t going to make the cut,” says Peter.

Tired and Tested: Because What They Want is Something Special 

Peter believes that Manor Estate has proved the point. What Americans want from imported wines is something out of the ordinary. “They love Manor Estate’s boutique wines. They love that we naturally age each vintage in our cellars. They especially like the fact that this is no mass-produced product that’s to be found at every street corner liquor store. Beyond that, they love the fact that Manor Estate offers the US its finest wines. It’s not cheap wine, but it is great wine. They’re willing to pay for that.”

For Manor Estate, the perception that Australia doesn’t have prestige as a winemaking country was among the barriers that Peter encountered. “It made it harder for us to break into the market. People were saying ‘We have French wine. We have Italian wine. We have our own wine. We’ve tried Australian wine and we weren’t impressed. It took a lot of effort just to get them to do a taste test that would debunk the notion that Aussie wines can’t be world-class. They want something special. We surprised and delighted them with truly superior wines. If you can’t deliver on that, don’t even try.”

Manor estate offers wine events, a romantic wedding venue and luxury accommodation in McLaren Vale. For more information, or join their wine club, visit the Manor Estate Wines website or call their team of experts on (08) 8383 7300.

Syndicated by Baxton Media, The Market Influencers, Your Digital Marketing Agency.

For Peter Cap of Manor Estate, a man whose love of wine and the McLaren Vale wine growing area led to the launch of his own wine brand, disruption of the status quo proved to be a recipe for success. It has taken his “newcomer” brand into the heart of New York’s smart society, and surprised wine industry insiders while winning the hearts of local consumers as an unexpected bonus. 

When it comes to using disruptive tactics, Manor Estate Wines offers a formidable example of how smart strategies that break the mould, coupled with products one can believe in, can lead to remarkable success. This article looks at Manor Estate’s unusual approach and how it led one boutique winery to international fame.

Where the Old Guard Misses the Mark

In established industries, a routine way of getting things done becomes the norm. Think of banks, their way of doing business, their image, and their marketing: it’s invariably a set recipe with occasional, rather painful attempts to win over up-and-coming youngsters. But at its heart, nothing is really new. Nothing is really different. It’s business as usual.

The wine industry suffers from similar image issues. There’s little risk-taking; a reliance on the same old motifs; a fear of moving outside the box because, after all, the box is part of the package. 

As relative newcomers to a wine industry in which established, mass-produced brands rule the roost, the Manor Estate found itself wondering how it could make itself noticed. It spotted the gap and proceeded to do just that.

Break Down Boundaries, Overcome Barriers

It seemed like a desperate strategy, but in truth, it was well-conceived and produced unbelievable results. Instead of following the traditional model in which brands first seek recognition at home before crossing the water to new territories, Manor Estate would skip step one, and proceed directly to step two. 

Export success would be a sufficient triumph in itself, and reasoned Peter and daughter Sharleen, “if you can succeed in New York, you can succeed anywhere.” And so it was that Sharleen would leave her country upbringing behind her, pulling out all the stops to turn an unknown brand into a famous one in one of the world’s most glittering capitals. 

But conventional tactics wouldn’t work. “Nobody in New York had heard of Manor Estate,” says Sharleen, “so there was no way that the brand would gain support using traditional channels. It had to be something different to the usual round of pamphlets, brochures, emails and phone calls.”

She developed a cheeky methodology that would leave industry insiders aghast and wondering why they hadn’t thought of it themselves.

Influencing Influencers: Up Close, Personal, and Impossible to Argue

Influencing the influencers meant getting to know them in person. But before Sharleen could do that, she needed in-person access. She took an unusual approach. “It started with talking to waiters,” she says. “From there, it became talking to managers. And the next step would be an introduction into the network of influencers that dictate culinary taste and style to Manhattan at large.”

Needless to say, she discovered that word-of-mouth marketing can be way more effective than any number of glitzy brochures and carefully-worded emails. “Manor Estate had a superior product. Looking for a niche that would allow it to be competitive, by-the-glass wines came under the spotlight. They weren’t very good. Manor Estate winery could offer top establishments something truly excellent instead. Now, it was a matter of making them realise it.”

Taste and Tell

Convinced that all it would take to win over New York’s most respected gourmet food restaurants and high-society wine bars would be one taste of a wine that would outstrip its competitors, Sharleen went to work. 

“It’s about making a personal connection and having something great to offer,” she says. “They could have tried humouring the person who was offering them a taste of an unknown wine. There could have been ‘don’t call, we’ll call you’ responses. But instead, Manor Estate Wines delivered on their promise. The response was overwhelmingly positive.”

With the heart of the United States’s most influential city won, momentum grew – and so did support from home, with Wine Australia recognising Manor Estates’ potential and choosing it as one of the lucky few to gain access to its network of contacts. “They were amazed at the US response to Manor Estate Wines,” says Sharleen, “but the groundwork was already in place, and the US market was eager to try the wines that had risen to fame in Manhattan.”

“Hometown Brand Makes Good” Story Piques the Interest of Australian Wine Connoisseurs

Now, the story goes full circle, returning to its home in McLaren Vale. “Nobody can fail to be impressed by a relatively new brand’s success in New York and the greater USA,” says Peter. “Disrupting the status quo in which big brands have all the loyalty and there’s a set formula for success proved to be a matter of conquering the world’s most influential city.” 

Over and above that, a documentary series filmed on location at Manor Estate drew attention to the brand’s true home. Suddenly, everyone wanted to know about Manor Estate Wines. Everyone wanted a taste of that success and the wine that has New York asking for more. In an industry in which old wineries ruled the roost, the newcomer had created a buzz that piqued the interest of both wine experts and ordinary people who love a local success story.

“It was disruptive,” says Peter. “People are still wondering how it was done. Then they taste the wine, and understand.”

Manor estate offers wine events, a romantic wedding venue and luxury accommodation in McLaren Vale. For more information, or join their wine club, visit the Manor Estate Wines website or call their team of experts on (08) 8383 7300.

Syndicated by Baxton Media, The Market Influencers, Your Digital Marketing Agency.

Mothers deserve to be celebrated everyday, so this year on the 9th of May, opt for a wine club membership that delivers a personalised monthly selection of wine right to her door. This way, our leading ladies can enjoy a good glass of grape as part of a lasting experience. Think of this as the gift that keeps on giving, and perhaps a way to open a door to new ways in which new wines can be enjoyed. 

Wine ‘O Clock Made Easy

Manor Estate, which is situated in the lush wine-making valleys of McLaren Vale, produces some of the finest wines, making ripples in upmarket eateries as far as Manhattan, New York. The brand opens up their cellar doors to people offering immersive tasting and pairing experiences, picnics, wine events and of course a wine club membership that takes the love for wine to a whole new level. 

To explore the membership perks and the popping the corks on prime wine, a simple sign-up is required and is celebrated with a $249 bonus bottle of 2009 Chardonnay Special Vintage. 

For those who may be joining the Manor Estate’s Mother’s Day & Secrete Wine Garden event, their gift will be wrapped and ready upon arrival. For those who’ll be celebrating elsewhere, free shipping across Australia applies.

View the full spectrum of the wine club benefits and gain some insight from Manor Estate’s owner and vintner, Peter Cap here.

What’s In The Bag?

Of course there is more to a Manor Estate wine club membership than discounts on award-wining wines. They go the extra mile to throw in complimentary access to Cellar Door and Wine Functions hosted on the estate and free shipping on all 12 premium hand-selected Limited Reserve wine every quarter. 

What makes the Manor Estate wine club membership work so well, is the No Fuss Refund and there’s not even a membership fee in sight. A once-off fee paves the way for VIP discounts on at events, wine tours and of course early access to new wines. 

A Quarterly Mother’s Day Affair

Whether it’s opening a bottle of wine for celebratory dinners and hangouts with the family at barbecues, a good glass of wine will make the experience a memorable and convenient one. 

As the philosopher Plato said: “Nothing more excellent or valuable than wine was ever granted by the gods to man.”

Cheers, Plato! 

Share this excellence and value this coming Mother’s Day and celebrate those magical moments with a superb glass of wine. 

Manor estate offers wine events, a romantic wedding venue and luxury accommodation in McLaren Vale. For more information, or join their wine club, visit the Manor Estate Wines website or call their team of experts on (08) 8383 7300.

Syndicated by Baxton Media, The Market Influencers, Your Digital Marketing Agency.

“These aren’t hard drinkers. They’re ordinary people who feel the need to create opportunities for celebration and a little self-indulgence,” he says. “Nothing says ‘celebration’ better than a good bubbly.”

Read: Sparkling Brut Wines McLaren Vale Winery Accommodation Functions Weddings Events

Proactive Approach Helps ME to More Than its Share of Rising Sales

Peter Cap notes that overall, his winery is seeing greater growth in sparkling wine sales than that reported by various beverage industry associations. The figures vary depending on the part of the world under consideration and the source reporting, but all agree that there’s a rise of anything from 4 to 11 percent in sparkling wine consumption.

Manor Estate is outperforming that, and Peter attributes this to several reasons, including a bit of luck. “Manor Estate was pushing for its share in the US market for boutique wines, and its representatives were celebrating US success just as the lockdowns started,” he says. “It came at a time when the brand was getting a lot of attention from foodies and wine celebrities. Having progressed to that degree, it was difficult to maintain the previous momentum under lockdown, but Manor Estate was no longer the unknown new kid on the block and the demand was there.”

Back home in Australia, locals were enthralled by the Manor Estate success story, further increasing the brand’s sparkling wine sales. “The Australian market wasn’t a priority for ME Wines at the time,” says Peter, “but people wanted to taste the Australian wine that was being served in top New York establishments like the Carnegie Club. The estate’s Wine Club saw rising membership along with increased sales while market awareness was also boosted by a made-for-TV wine documentary filmed on location at the estate.”

Read: Wine Club Membership Quality Wines McLaren Vale Boutique Winery and Distributor

Quality is Key

Skill also had its role to play in Manor Estate’s rising sales curve. Peter says that tastebuds were doing the talking here: “There are a lot of cheap, mass-produced sparkling wines, but Manor Estate stands out from the crowd because its sparkling wines are produced using properly aged wine – the difference this makes lies in the taste.”

For an unbiased confirmation of Peter’s opinion, the world-renowned Wine Enthusiast panel is the first port of call. In blind tasting, Manor Estate’s Sparkling Shiraz and Brut achieved very high ratings. “Producing quality over quantity, will always reap rewards,” says Peter. “ME wines aren’t the cheapest, but though they are exclusive boutique wines, they are affordable and they taste better. You don’t have to be an expert to tell the difference.”

Asked if Manor Estate expects the rising sales trend to continue, Peter doesn’t hesitate: “The worldwide romance with bubbly isn’t going to slow down, and consumers are becoming more informed in their choices, so Manor Estate is well-positioned to continue winning hearts and minds both at home and abroad.”

For more information visit the Manor Estate Wines website or call their team of experts on (08) 8383 7300.

Syndicated by Baxton Media, The Market Influencers, Your Digital Marketing Agency.