In the 2023 National Liquor News Industry Leaders Forum, Darren De Bortoli details the great achievements of the business in 2022 and plans for the year ahead.
Despite some of the lingering challenges of the pandemic in 2022, iconic Australian wine brand De Bortoli managed to mark several highlights over the year.
Managing Director, Darren De Bortoli, listed his standout moments, showing positives from various corners of the business.
“Our highlights were being recognised as the first Platinum Partner of Sustainability Advantage, a program of the NSW Government’s Office of Energy and Climate Change, receiving the Sustainable Winegrowing Australia certification for the winery and vineyard in Bilbul, celebrating Noble One’s 40th anniversary and the release of the Re-write The Rules range which breaks free from wine stereotypes for consumers to empower their wine discovery,” De Bortoli said.
“Overall sales for 2022 is fair given the challenges and we will continue to take pride in making great wine and for sustainability to be at the core of everything that we do.”
Sustainability continues to be a core motivator for the wine company, with 2022’s achievements noted by De Bortoli as “a testament to the family’s desire to leave a positive legacy for future generations.”
“With a vision for a future where great wine and a healthy environment can be enjoyed by everyone, the De Bortoli range of wines now include an Organic range which has met the Australian Certified Organic standards, packaged in lightweight recycled bottles and is vegan friendly,” De Bortoli continued.
“In addition, the CSR initiative for the 17 TREES range has planted in excess of 67,000 trees globally. De Bortoli’s journey in sustainability continues to evolve with the Wine By The Glass System which is a new convenient, compact and portable way to serve wines on tap that saves time, energy and resources.
“Our commitment to sustainability and making sustainable wine will continue and our emphasis in 2023 will be in the areas of scaling up our sustainability impact.”
The immediate focus for De Bortoli in 2023 will be to improve internal processes, drive operational efficiency, and continue the company’s innovation journey to surprise and delight consumers. This innovation journey will extend from De Bortoli’s great moves in the space in 2022, releasing several wines in line with the latest consumer trends.
“NPDs and innovation are a key focus for the company which runs through every part of our business from marketing to winemaking, production, sales and operations,” said De Bortoli.
“Here at De Bortoli, we strive for ‘fully integrated innovation’ to ensure that we look at everything through an innovative lens and this is what drives us to continue to develop new and exciting wine styles that inspire our consumers.”
As for what De Bortoli believes will be the top trends that will capture the tastes of consumers in the year ahead, it will be all about interesting varietals but also value buys, particularly with the current economic challenges which are part of the post-pandemic environment we have transitioned into.
De Bortoli notes how this will be a key issue the industry will need to overcome in the year ahead, and said: “Even though the worst days of the pandemic are behind us, we are still impacted by supply chain issues. In addition, a key challenge would be recruiting and retaining talent, especially in the hospitality areas for our local area sites.”
Find more from the 2023 National Liquor News Industry Leaders Forum here.