TWE rolls out Manchester City-themed wine in China

Australian wine giant Treasury Wine Estates has unveiled a special edition of Wolf Blass Manchester City-themed wine for mainland China during the Chengdu Wine Fair this week, following the winery’s sponsorship deal with the English football club last year.

The wine, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, will be exclusively distributed by COFCO Wine & Spirits, a division under China’s state-owned food and drinks producer/importer COFCO.

The label design paid tribute to the English football club, using the side’s traditional blue colours, in tune with Wolf Blass’ label strategy, and incorporating City’s famous logo as well, TWE said.

Also at the fair, Wolf Blass’ ‘Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz Malbec’ came top at a blind tasting competition called ‘Master Blend Classification’ held at the Shangri-la Hotel.

The tasting compared 19 different expressions of Cabernet-based wines from the 2012 vintage including four Bordeaux first growths, Opus One, Sassicaia and Dominus. It was judged by a panel of 20 experts and a few Chinese media.

Sharing the No. 1 spot with Wolf Blass were Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Léoville-Las Cases and Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande.