Off-Piste builds Hungarian portfolio with new partner

Off-Piste Wines is set to build its portfolio of German and Hungarian wines after taking on the distribution of Binderer St Ursula Weinkellerei from Bibendum PLB.

The distributor, which supplies the major multiples, will take on the German wine producer from the middle of September,  focusing on its Eastern European wines.

Off-Pistes’s joint managing director Paul Letheren said it was an opportunity to expand the company’s offering of UK focused wines to its retail partners, adding that the two companies would take broad approach, looking to potentially develop “fresh and exciting” own label propositions and new branded wines to appeal to UK consumers, which had a new slant.

“They have huge capabilities and are happy to work on style and marketing for the UK market,” he told db. “If you are trying to appeal to a broad base and to millennial, you need the reassurance of the international varietals.”

Headquartered in Munich, Binderer St Ursula Weinkellerei was founded sixty years ago, becoming one of the major producers and exporters of Hungarian wines after buying the Gyöngyös wine estate in Hungary’s Mátra region in 1995. It now concentrates on producing new world style white wines from the north of Hungary, and fruit-driven reds from the south of the country, under the Dunavár, Donauherbst and Graf Károlyi labels. However it also exports brands from across Europe to 20 different countries, including the key UK market.

Liz Stich of Binderer St Ursula said the company was looking forward to working with Off-Piste “as a specialist brand builder and distributor”.

“We fully understand how competitive the UK market is and we know that Rome wasn’t built in a day. Our whole team is excited to be making long term plans with Off-Piste, and we have every confidence this collaboration will see more of our wines enjoyed by UK wine drinkers in future,” she said.

Off-Piste sourcing and supply director Clem Yates MW said Binderer St Ursula was ideally placed to meet the demands of the UK market as it continued to look for better value and better quality. “I see a real opportunity to refresh consumer’s opinion of Eastern European wines and am particularly excited by the possibilities with Grüner Veltliner, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Pinot Noir,” she said.