Bass trials drink with spritz apeal

Bass is trialing a new white wine spritzer drink in 120 of its city centre managed houses.

Twisted Vine has an ABV of five per cent and is a blend of French Chardonnay and carbonated water.

It comes in 250ml bottles and is priced between £2 and £2.50 - around the same as a premium packaged lager.

The drink has been developed in response to the growing popularity of wine.

Bass claims spritzer drinkers are often confronted with an array of poor quality variations.

It says spritzer drinkers never know if they are going to get lemonade, soda or tonic and what the quality of the wine will be. Also, spritzers often come in small servings.

Spokesman Stuart Cain said: "Twisted Vine offers a long drink of consistent quality. We think there is a demand for this type of product."The spritzer will be on test for around two months before Bass makes a decision about whether to trial the product further.

Cain said: "We always run a small test first to ensure we can deliver the product in the bars. "It also gives us a chance to listen to anecdotal evidence so we can change the packaging and taste accordingly."

The test for Twisted Vine is slightly larger than the initial test for Chio, a five per cent "cappuccino cooler". This product is still on trial and no decision has been made, although it has been rolled out in three other cities other than just the initial Leeds trial.

However, the brewer did say last April that the product would be rolled out nationally in 1998 if tests were successful.

Bass obviously has more faith in Twisted Vine, hence the larger test and promotional material which is on display in test sites.

Cain said: "The product is only available in the on-trade at the moment. "The first thing to do is get people trying it."