By Amy Looker
Pernod Ricard's global wine division, Premium Wine Brands, has posted four per cent organic sales growth for the last financial year.
Premium Wine Brands improved on its inaugural results in 2011, increasing contribution 10 per cent, which is up from six per cent on the previous year.
Each of the group's priority premium brands posted positive growth, particularly its Australian and New Zealand brands, with Jacob's Creek up two per cent after its fall of one per cent in the previous year, and Brancott Estate up two per cent in sales and five per cent in volume.
The Hunter Valley-based Wyndham Estate winery also enjoyed growth of 12 per cent value and 11 per cent volume.
On the international stage, Campo Viejo is up 11 per cent and Graffigna is up 28 per cent, with each growing value globally, and particularly strong results in key priority markets.
Premium Wine Brands chairman and CEO, Jean Christophe Coutures, said that what was most pleasing about the results was that the growth has been driven by value.
"In difficult market conditions, we have not wavered from our premium-focused value strategy. This approach has seen us continue to improve and increase our contribution to the group substantially," he said.
"Our brands have demonstrated their vast geographical footprint and broad appeal by performing well in multiple regions, in both mature and emerging markets. Jacob's Creek continues to lead in China, growing net sales 32 per cent – a figure which shows the continued opportunity which exists in this market for Australian wine."
Coutures said that with the exception of the UK, all mature markets have performed extremely well.
"We have seen the portfolio's organic sales net growth increase eight per cent in Australia, and 12 per cent in the US with three of our brands, experiencing double-digit growth in that market. In the UK, we are continuing to apply our value strategy, which for Jacob's Creek has seeing us operating at a 30 per cent price premium to the majority of our competitors."