Biodynamic and natural wine specialist, Paxton Wines, has expanded its Now brand of sulphur-free wines with the first white added to the range.
Paxton Wines global sales and marketing director, Brian Lamb, told TheShout recently at ProWein 2018 that following a sharp rise in sales of its biodynamic preservative-free red wine branded Now, the decision was made to introduce a 100 per cent Chardonnay to the range. Lamb told TheShout at ProWein 2017, that sales of the Now red wine had increased by 500 per cent year on year.
Despite this strong growth in 2016, sales of the Now red wine climbed again by a further double digits over the 2017 calendar year.
“We have had some great success with the Now red wine and it is now launched into more markets internationally including Sweden and other parts of Scandinavia. It has also sold well in California through the Wholefoods chain and natural food stores and it has clearly found a niche,” Lamb said.
“Customer demand has led to the launch of the Now white which is 100% Chardonnay crisp aromatic style as well as the signature approach of no sulfur. To create Now, we first take our certified biodynamic fruit and in the winemaking process we add no sulphur and additionally they are young style wines that have no oak either. They go straight into bottle from stainless steel tanks to deliver a very fresh style that is certified organic in the EU, by the USDA and by NASAA.
“Additionally what we are seeing on top of these certifications is a strong demand for Vegan-friendly wines from consumers. As a company, we have changed the way we fine all of our wines – so every wine we offer is now Vegan-friendly and we do that by fining without the use of any animal products so no egg whites or fish by-products. We use cold-stabilisation generally and we see the Vegan consumer as a growing market as well.
“The Now category of preservative-free natural wines is in a growth spurt and we are trying to make these wines commercially accessible and stylistically they are clean with mass appeal. As natural wine producers we are not trying to make anything too funky or ‘barn-yardy’ as sometimes these types of terms are associated with these types of wines. The reason for the success of Now is we have made it commercially accessible in its flavour profile – but then people say silly things like – ‘it is so nice to see wines like this that taste like wine’ – because as a category there is a lot of awkward and uncomfortable flavour profiles that turn people off. The wine consumer is changing and evolving – and more people want clean living and they want natural food and organic produce. The world is interested in consuming naturally and they are clearly interested in this flowing into the wine category.
“The Now white will be available in July for the independent off-premise market primarily as it is more orientated as a retail product, however we are starting to see the large national retailers are increasing their categories for preservative free and organic wines.”