Penfolds launches ground-breaking collection of “Wines of the World”
Samuel Stephens, Penfolds Brand Ambassador
At an exclusive wine tasting event in Singapore, Penfolds unveiled its latest range of red wines. Via video link from Australia, Chief Winemaker, Peter Gago, enthusiastically introduced the collection of four wines making special note of the two flagship “Wines of the World,” a Penfolds term used to describe the wine’s unique blend.
Penfolds’ inaugural collection of Californian wines
In a first for the company, its 2018 Quantum Bin 98 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2018 Bin 149 Cabernet Sauvignon are made from predominantly Napa Valley cabernet parcels, with each containing a significant addition of Shiraz (Quantum) and Cabernet (Bin 149) from South Australia.
2018 Quantum Bin 98 Sauvignon
Gago comments that the new concept, which “jumps the Pacific” will be controversial, but highlights Penfolds ethos of tradition coupled with innovation. Describing the two wines he states: “A quality-first approach underpins this inaugural release led by 2018 Quantum. This blend assembles parcels of prized cabernet sauvignon from some of the Napa Valley’s best vineyards and pedigree shiraz from South Australia.”
Peter Gago, Chief Winemaker hosts the wine tasting via Zoom
He believes that this is the next level of “synergistic optimization.” His excitement about the new collection is evident as he says that collectors will be intrigued by the venture and some will buy purely because this is the first of its kind. Quantum Bin 98 is targeted at more sophisticated wine lovers, priced at S$700, while Bin 149 is more accessible at S$149.
The collection also comprises two other wines, 2018 Bin 704 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2018 Bin 600 Cabernet Shiraz. Bin 704 comes from Napa Valley grapes and is matured in French Oak barrels, drawing inspiration from the “mirror image” of its Australian Bin 407 stablemate. Bin 600 comprises grapes from Napa Valley, Sonoma and Paso Robles. It is linked to Penfolds beginnings in California in 1998, when the company imported a selection of Shiraz vine cuttings from South Australia’s Kalimna and Magill Estate vineyards and planted them in Californian soil. As Gago describes it: “California sun above the soil, everything below is Penfolds, these are Californian wines made in a Penfolds way.” The wines are targeted at a wider market, with Bin 704 priced at S$70 and Bin 600 at S$50.
Wine tasting the new collection
The Californian collection will be launched globally. In South East Asia it will be available in Singapore, Hainan, Sydney and HKIA duty free outlets from March. While the Chinese market has been affected by the tariff on Australian imports, the company continues to look at other travel retail outlets in the region and are confident of announcing more partnerships soon. With the pandemic impacting travel retail sales, Samuel Stephens, Brand Ambassador, says that airports are looking at innovative ways to sell duty free. In Singapore, for example, the wines can be purchased on KrisShop and iShopChangi pre-travel or for local delivery within Singapore.
