McWilliams adds Weight Watchers range

McWilliams Wines has joined forces with Weight Watchers to launch a lower alcohol range of wines in the UK, which will be endorsed by the dieting scheme.

The McWilliams Harmony range

Available from October and distributed exclusively by PLB, the four-strong collection will feature the Harmony Sparkling Brut NV, Harmony Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc, Harmony Shiraz and Ezzenze Vine Dancer Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. The wines’ ABV level ranges from 6-10%, with RRPs of £8.99-£9.99.

Each bottle will feature a removable Weight Watchers sticker, which offers details of the programme’s ProPoints value for a single serve, while the back label carries nutritional information, including calorie content. McWilliams already produces a range for the Australian market, which has been endorsed by Weight Watchers since 2010.

The range joins the existing Weight Watchers branded wines produced under licence by German firm Reh Kendermann, which raised concerns earlier this year about a “misleading” suggestion of Weight Watchers’ affiliation with Banrock Station Light, whose wines were advertised in the organisation’s magazine.

This latest official extension is designed to tap into UK consumers’ loyalty to New World wines. It will also add further diversity within the growing lower alcohol market, which now represents over one million case sales each year and has already seen major brands such as Arniston Bay and Blossom Hill launch lower alcohol ranges this year.

Pointing to research commissioned by McWilliams from Wine Intelligence, the brand’s export director Lloyd Stephens observed: “consumers have a strong interest in, and demand for, lower alcohol wines but do not want to compromise when it comes to their taste experience.”

Highlighting the value of this tie-in, he explained: “The Weight Watchers endorsement of our wines means consumers can now purchase full-flavoured, lower alcohol wines from a known and trusted quality producer with the clarity and assurance that the Weight Watchers brand and programme provides.”