Sogrape woos Japan with new-look Vinho Verde

Portugal’s largest producer Sogrape has marketed a new design of its Gazela Vinho Verde exclusively for the Japanese market in a bid to win over consumers.

The two faces of Gazela

Speaking to dbHK, Jakub Wierzba Sogrape’s managing director for Sogrape Asia Pacific, admitted that it was SoGrape’s first experience in designing a new bottle with the importer solely in mind, and that it all started with SoGrape’s flagship wine brand, Mateus which has been in Japan since the 1970s under Suntory – one of the longest standing SoGrape partnerships.

Despite Mateus being Portugal’s biggest wine brands in Japan – and indeed, elsewhere in Asia – Wierzba also highlighted the importance of Vinho Verde, a category which has been growing steadily in Japan over the last few years.

“The Chinese hate it,” he said. “But in Japan, it’s curiously got a strong following and consumers show a real appreciation about how it goes so well with the food. Gazela has been in Japan for five years already and together with Suntory, we decided we needed to do something better adapted to the market but still retaining the essence of Portugal.”

Gazela was Sogrape’s first Vinho Verde that appeared in 1984 and was marketed as a ‘pedigree’ brand as a response to other cheaper wines coming out of Portugal at the time.

However, its new incarnation – Frutos do Mar (seafood) – still bottled under screw cap but with an RSP of ¥1,000 (HK$65, £6.50), fits the entry-level, commercial style of Vinho Verde, being low in alcohol at 9% and with slight petillance and higher levels of residual sugar which suits the Japanese palate more, said Wierzba.

It also has a new label – bearing pictures of all permutations of seafood, just in case anyone was in any doubt about how it should be paired. There’s also a neck-tag with additional explanations of suggested dishes and Gazela’s international website also comes up with a plethora of information.

“The label alone just gives it away,” said Wierzba “Here is a wine which goes well with fish, seafood, shellfish, sushi. The consumers want something which is definitely Portuguese but also easily understandable.”

It was released in February of this year and shipments have already tripled, from 4,000 to 12,000 said Wierzba.

“It’s our first foray into adapting ourselves to suit our consumer market,” said Wierzba. “And sure, if this is works in Japan over the next few years, we’ll look to expand into other markets with a similar, very tailored approach.”