GBL pops open flavoured bubbly

A new range of flavoured sparkling wines has been uncorked by ready-to-drink (RTD) specialist GBL International.

Cavela, available in a 200ml single-serve bottle, marks the Chesterfield-based firm's first foray into the bubbly sector and the latest addition to its portfolio is designed to reinvigorate the RTD sector.

A number of established champagne houses such as Pommery have successfully launched single-serve bottles into the upmarket style bar sector and GBL managing director Steve Perez is hoping to replicate this following in the mainstream market.

"I think this is the first new thing to come into the RTD sector for a long time," he said. "People are drinking small bottles of champagne but we realised that the average drinker was unwilling to pay between £7 and £10 for it so we are recommending a price of around £3 to £5."

The decision has also been prompted by Gordon Brown's decision to raise the tax on spirit-based RTD products.

"Cava falls into a lower tax bracket, which we saw as another opportunity," said Mr Perez. "Rather than having something that's wine-based pretending to be a vodka, we decided to release a quality wine. Cavela is a premium product and quite different from the other RTDs on the market."

The wine used in Cavela has been sourced from a major cava producer in Spain.

"We have also seen the rise in sales of cava in the UK as a value-for-money yet quality alternative to champagne," added Mr Perez.

The launch of Cavela will be accompanied by an advertising campaign as well as POS material including lip balms, branded straws and fridges.