Mateus rosé winning over millennials this summer

Stalwart Portuguese rosé brand Mateus has so far exceeded expectations of brand owner Sogrape as it seeks to attract a new generation of consumers at this year’s summer festivals.

Mateus ‘zones’ are appearing at Foodies Festivals across the UK this summer

A UK consumer campaign to introduce Mateus Rosé to a new audience – part of a £1.5 million investment by the brand in the UK market this year – has included a Mateus ‘zone’ which has appeared at the Foodies Festivals in Birmingham, Blackheath and Tatton Park, and also at The Wine Gang’s London Summer festival. It is due to appear next at the Oxford Foodies Festival.

Also linked to the summer food theme, Mateus has launched a neck-tag competition based around the British BBQ season. The competition is running until mid-August across key UK Mateus retailers, offering shoppers the chance to win a fully catered Mateus Rosé BBQ at home, with the chef, food and wine all provided by Mateus Rosé.

Also, each week two Weber BBQs, cases of Mateus Rosé and branded icebags will go to lucky winners.

Instantly recognisable for its flask-shaped bottle, which was recently given a more modern look in clear glass, Mateus has been received enthusiastically by festival-goers so far this summer, Sogrape UK’s Mateus marketing manager, Rupert Lovie, said.

The brand was created by Fernando Van Zeller Guedes in 1942 and is viewed by many in the UK as both an icon of 70s nostalgia and a product responsible for de-mystifying wine for a mass consumer market.

Lovie decided the time was right to develop a contemporary consumer campaign for the brand which would reach millennials as well as more traditional Mateus drinkers.

“Mateus is a strong brand but it has enormous potential to further increase its reach by introducing it to a new group of consumers,” he said. “Having identified popular food and drink festivals as a key opportunity to access the right audience we decided to just get out there and put glasses in hands.

“The reaction has been phenomenal and extremely useful in terms of building the brand further.” says Lovie

“Overwhelmingly, we have found that people who have never seen Mateus Rosé before love it and those who haven’t tried it for a while are amazed at its more modern wine style which is crisp and refreshing.

“It is also a great opportunity to collect consumer feedback and data from the summer campaign which will help us to grow an even stronger presence in the UK market.”