Market Touriga Nacional as a small part of a very big whole.
October 11, 2010
I touched on this discussion in my last post… “Marketing People” have decided to make Touriga Nacional the flagship varietal of Portugal. There has been some debate on this, most of it one way, but debate none the less.. I would like to give my opinion on this as someone who is not exactly new to Portuguese wine, but as someone who has seen a lot of different wine around the world and lots of different marketing in my time. In and out of the wine industry.
To start with, here are a couple of pros and cons I can see for this move:
Pros
Touriga Nacional wines are very good. You will not see many people debating that. The ones that are done very well are up there with some very highly priced wines from any country. This is a very good thing worth shouting about in the Portuguese wine industry. I don’t think there has been enough shouting about Portuguese wine in the past, apart from Port. If this marketing move can reach a lot of people, it could spark a positive turn for Portuguese wine.
The reasoning behind pushing this varietal is quite sound, because you will be impressed with the quality for your money. Therefore as a consumer, you will probably return to the same wine again in future. Also you may recommend it to others as a great value wine.
Cons
Touriga Nacional represents a small percentage of the huge variety of, mainly native, grapes grown in Portugal. If a craze for the wine takes hold, there is no way supply can match demand. This is also be a pro, because it will drive the price up, and put Portugal’s wine firmly in the public eye. However, this could be devastating to many other native grapes, which also make very good wines. If we lose them, they may not come back, which would be a very sad thing to happen.
In my mind, the diversity of all these native grapes, coupled with Portugal’s wine tradition to quite often blend them, is the most valuable asset to their wine industry. If focus shifts away from this tradition, it would ruin, what I consider, the most traditional and interesting part of very long history wine making. If Portugal looses its traditions of blends and many native grapes, then they will be no different to the new world producers trying to make the best Shiraz, Cab Sav, Zinfandel, Chardonnay Pinot Gris or Touriga Nacional they can. This is not going to put Portugal on the map for long, new world producers will take over and do a Touriga Nacional for a lower cost and just as good quality in a few years time.
One af the many great Portuguese blends
Now this is a very simplistic break down of the argument, but it gives you an idea of the hard decisions wineries must take when they plant, grown, tend and then harvest the grapes to make wine. I think I have said something similar to before in another post… If everyone made the same wine, I for one would not have anything more to say about wine than “it has alcohol in it and it tastes nice with food”. Now, these two points are great, but what is even better is the diversity Portugal’s wine offers to wine drinkers. I know many other countries offer this too, but Portugal offers something mysterious with its many native grapes, which will be new to many people. Why would you want to limit the consumer’s exposure to Portugal’s wines to just one grape?
“But Parker gave a Touriga Nacional the highest rating of all Portuguese wines”, I here you say. Single variety wines will always appeal to wine critics. but this is purely because they are wine critics! They can easily be critical about single varietals… They find it harder to be critical about an excellent blended wine because there are so many different variables that go into it. They cannot so easily say why one is better than another. That is the thing that makes most Portuguese wine so interesting. There is often little intellectualizing of them past the percentages of each grape in the wine. I simply appreciate them for what they are; good (often great) excellently valued wines. Isn’t that what most consumers want?
So if you pose the question to me, I would say this… Market Touriga Nacional as a small part of a very big whole. Use it to highlight winery brands. These are the most important things to be in the public eye – not a grape… If a consumer likes that winery’s Touriga Nacional, then they may try their Trincadeira, their Alvarinho, their Aragonez, or even enjoy their blended reservas. The wineries are the people, you must remember, who are making the great wines. If it were not for them, the wine would not be marketable whatever grape goes into it.
Source: http://www.wine-a-day.com/winblog/2010/04/26/touriga-nacional-should-it-be-a-flagship-wine/
The wine shop in Angeles Philippines Clark Freeport Zone Pampanga as well as other wine shops, wine bars and wine outlets in Subic and Manila are wells stocked with interesting selections of Touriga Nacional wine from various producers covering a wide range of prices.
As a wine collector, hobbyist or someone in the wine trade, are you concerned or interested about this also? If so, please stay tuned in to Yats Wine Cellars’ web site to stay abreast of things to do with wine in the world.
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Leading Philippines Wine Supplier Yats Wine Cellars based in Clark Philippines with outlets in Angeles City, Subic Freeport and Manila Philippines has been not only a wine shop for fine wines covering all major wine regions but also a source of reliable and useful information about wine, wine appreciation, wine accessories, wine and health, food and wine pairing and all other matters relating to wine and its appreciation. This Philippines Clark Freeport based Wine Supplier and Wine Shop frequently holds public wine tasting events in Pampana Clark Freeport Zone, Angeles City, Subic Bay area, Makati, Fort Bonifacio and other areas in Philippines capital city Manila. Private Wine events such as private wine tasting and private wine dinners are also designed and organized for private clientele for their wine loving guests.
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http://www.ClarkWineCenter.com
Getting to this wine shop in Pampanga Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone Philippines from Manila
Getting to the Clark Wine Center wine shop from Manila is quite simple: after entering Clark Freeport from Dau and Angeles City, proceed straight along the main highway M A Roxas. Clark Wine Center is the stand-along white building on the right, at the corner A Bonifacio Ave. From the Clark International Airport DMIA, ask the taxi to drive towards the entrance of Clark going to Angeles City. From Mimosa, just proceed towards the exit of Clark and this wine shop is on the opposite side of the main road M A Roxas.
Clark Wine Center
Bldg 6460 Clark Observatory Building
Manuel A. Roxas Highway corner A Bonifacio Ave,
Angeles Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga 2023
0922-870-5173 0917-826-8790 (ask for Ana Fe)
YATS Wine Cellars
Manila Sales Office
3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605
(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 ask for Rea or Chay
Best place to buy wine in Clark Pampanga outside Manila near Subic and Angeles City Philippines is Clark Wine Center. Visitors buy wine in Manila and Pampanga should not miss stopping at this wine shop for a few bottles of fine vintage wines to bring home.
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While in Clark, it might be a good idea to enjoy an evening of wine-and-dine in the fine dining Yats Restaurant and Wine Bar that features an award winning 2700-line wine list. It is located in Mimosa Leisure Estate of Clark Freeport Zone. For more information, visit http://www.YatsRestaurant.com
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http://www.YatsWineCellars.com
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