Sparkling wine: Cava campaign
CRACKING OPEN the sparkling wine in the pub is probably most appropriately done with a Gallic shrug, given champagne¹s dominance. But a recent campaign tried to make a flamboyant Spanish olé just as suitable.
Spanish trade body the Institut del Cava ran a promotional initiative for its eponymous wine that included teaming up with 20 London pubs for a summer deal aimed at encouraging customers to drink cava by the glass.
The Institut is well aware of the issues surrounding cava. For 30 years since it first started to be distributed within our shores, cava has generally been accompanied by heavy pricing promotions in the off-trade. All very well for getting cava established in a country, admits the Institut, but has left associations that hardly help now it seeks level-pegging with champagne.
The Institut, and the increasing numbers of pubs selling cava at a premium, are working to change that image. So how well are they doing?
Champagne sales volumes are on the rise in the on-trade 22 per cent up in the year to May, according to Nielsen. Meanwhile, Nielsen groups cava in with all other types of sparkling wine, and says this category fell nine per cent in the period.
However, the Institut claims cava¹s popularity in the UK is on the rise. It says we drank 32.7 million bottles in 2007, a five per cent hike on 2006's 31.1 million.
This figure is for the on and off-trade combined. The fact that Nielsen confirms sparkling wine consumption is on the rise at home while being in decline in pubs suggests that the bulk of the growth recorded by the Institut may be based on domestic consumption.
Missed opportunity
Nevertheless, pubs must at least eye this take-home trend with interest and ponder how they can pop the cork on cava as they clearly are doing with champagne.
And if they're not, Maria del Mar Torres, director of the Institut del Cava, certainly urges them to. "Pub customers wanting sparkling wine only see champagne or prosecco most of the time," she says.
"We feel this is a real shame and a missed opportunity to get through to consumers."
For advice on sourcing cava, call the Institut Del Cava on 0034 934 34 29 20 and quote Cava Distribution.
Case study: the Brown Dog
The London promotion, which ran in May and June as part of a teaming up with the Institut del Cava, gave pubs a selection of cavas free of charge. Pubs could set the price, provided they offered it by the glass with a 'buy one, get one free' deal. Staff were given training and information about cava.
The Brown Dog in Barnes South West London, was one of the 20 pubs selected.
Manager Mike Milne says: "We listed cava on the menu as an aperitif in kir royales and bellinis. It prompted people to have a drink they would not usually have had.
"We found many people coming back and buying full bottles.
"Cava has had a bad reputation, just as English wines have. But sit people down for a tasting of either and they¹re likely to be persuaded."
