Champagne Castelnau unveils new look

Champagne Castelnau has officially unveiled its new look in London as the brand moves towards its stated ambition to reach one million bottles in global sales by 2020.

The new look Champagne Castelnau Brut Reserve

The repackaged Champagne marks a major visual departure for the brand, as it takes on a much more minimalist look, which is designed to give the house a more contemporary feel.

As previously reported by the drinks business, the updated appearance also sees the house tweak the brand so that it no longer features the ‘de’ in its name – until this week, it was called Champagne de Castelnau.

Such change has been augmented by a new double ‘C’ logo in place of the old crest which featured a ‘d’ at its centre.

Speaking to the drinks business on Tuesday this week, where the new look was unveiled in London, Pascal Prudhomme, who is managing director of the brand, said that the repackage was a way to make the house appear more “modern” and “daring”, as well as to increase the Champagne’s “stand-out” on retailers’ shelves.

He also told db that the repackage was another step in taking Castelnau towards its target of selling one million bottles by 2020, and 2m by 2025.

During an interview at the start of this year, Prudhomme confirmed that the brand, which is owned by the Coopérative Régionale des Vins de Champagne (CRVC), was on course to hits its target, and saw its global sales rise to reach almost 800,000 bottles last year, an increase of 45% on 2015.

Last year, to mark 100 years since the brand was created in 1916, Castelnau launched its first ever prestige cuvée called Hors Catégorie.

Just 3,500 numbered bottles of Hors Catégorie were disgorged in November 2015 before being released in June 2016 in France and export markets including the UK, where it comes with an RRP of £85.00.

The new look for the entire range of Castelnau’s Champagnes, which include a Brut, a Brut Reserve, Blanc de Blancs, Rosé and Vintage, will be presented at the London Wine Fair on Stand D22.

The exhibition will also see the unveiling of a new company identity for the Champagne brand’s wholly owned UK importer and distributor, called Castelnau Wine Agencies.

Formerly called Patriarche Wine Agencies, the UK business changed its name after CVRC Champagne de Castelnau bought its UK distributor in March 2013.

Read more:

CHAMPAGNE CO-OP BUYS ITS UK DISTRIBUTOR

CHAMPAGNE DE CASTELNAU LAUNCHES PRESTIGE CUVÉE

CHAMPAGNE DE CASTELNAU HITS NEW SALES RECORD

CHAMPAGNE DE CASTELNAU TO DROP THE ‘DE’

And the old look for the same Champagne