MARKETING: On the Marche

Italy’s wine cooperative, Moncaro, builds its brand on the strength of its regional affiliation and that of the area’s indigenous grape, Verdicchio

Italian wine brand and cooperative Moncaro is so closely connected to the Marche it sees itself as much as an ambassador for the region as it does its own company’s products. The rationale is simple. “It is very important for us to be seen as an Italian company from the Marche region so when consumers think of the Marche, we hope they will think of Moncaro,” explains Stefano Tombesi, export director for the company.

He notes the rising recognition for the wine-producing area worldwide, as well as its flagship grape, Verdicchio, which he hopes will become more popular in “the near future”, admitting that it is somewhat overshadowed presently by the dominance of Pinot Grigio in Italian wine exports.

“Verdicchio is an Italian variety which tastes Italian, goes well with food and is good value for money,” he says, adding “you get more flavour for the price than Pinot Grigio.”

Organic approach
If it’s not the Marche that Moncaro is attempting to push then it’s organic viticulture. According to Tombesi, the company was one of the first winemakers in Europe, if not the world, to experiment with organic viticulture, and has been making wine using this approach since 1980. “Only a percentage of our production is organic but knowledge of the growing system is used to ensure all our wine has a low impact on the environment,” explains Tombesi, pointing out that the cooperative has “a very tight connection with our grower members and we strongly encourage organic farming methods.”

In terms of scale, Moncaro makes wine from over 1,000 growers covering 1,700 hectares of vineyard. Last year, the producer made 100,000 cases, split equally between white and red.

The UK is Moncaro’s biggest export market, and distributors in Britain, Eurowines, report strong performance for the brand, “particularly in the on-trade where national distribution has grown significantly over the last few years – and the wines feature in many of the capital’s prestigious eateries, such as Zaika and Sketch”. Moncaro has also maintained its listings within the mail-order sector and multiple retailers in the UK, as well as new listings within Majestic and, more recently, Sainsbury’s. The brand also features prominently in multiple on-trade operators such as Pizza Express and Prezzo.

Outside the UK, the US is growing fast, and although Tombesi points out that this is from a smaller base, America is buying more of Moncaro’s premium offerings. Further, the company’s aim “is to sell more premium wines, but keep our reputation for good value for money.”

Provenance and price
Overall, for Tombesi, Moncaro’s philosophy can be summed up with the following points. “Firstly, we are clearly making Italian wine – which is very important as Italian food becomes more popular, enhancing the consumption of the country’s wines. As part of this, we are strongly characterised as a wine producer from the Marche region. Secondly, we are about value for money – this is a key characteristic of the brand.” On the latter point, Tombesi adds: “The market is looking for wine that is better value for money and while it is difficult to produce wine at competitive prices, this trend is helping us.”

db © July 2008