Saracen Estates targets international markets

SARACEN Estates wines is ramping up its international marketing efforts to increase exports to the United Kingdom, the US and Europe.

Elio Cazzolli, who created Saracen Estates with property developer Luke Saraceni, said a major strength in the wine industry was to establish an individual brand.

Mr Cazzolli said there was a good acceptance of Australian wine in overseas markets, howe-ver it was important to establish the right niche for each product.

“We want to be in the top 10 [wine] producers out of WA in the next five years,” he said.

“Sales are going well for us at the moment, even with the Australian dollar, and when the Australian dollar weakens it will further enhance exports and make it a lot more competitive.”

Established in 1998 by the Cazzolli and the Saraceni families, Saracen Estates has recently appointed export manager Andy Nye to expedite export marketing efforts with the aim of doubling export sales annually.

“We have doubled our exports in the last six months and we will double it again in the following six months, mainly through our US and UK exports,” Mr Nye said.

“We have distributors in Singapore and Hong Kong, and have just taken on a distributor in Malaysia in the last two weeks that is currently selling $A4 million of alcohol per year, and they are looking at doubling that figure.”

Mr Nye said there was interest from several London wine distributors following the company’s appearance at the London International Wine and Spirit Fair in May of this year.

Mr Nye said the company chose to attend the event independently of the Austrade contingent so as to establish greater brand recognition for Saracen Estates.

As part of this effort, Saracen Estates has appointed wine maker Bill Crappsley as a wine consultant for the Saracen Estates range and Classic range from Margaret River.

Mr Cazzolli said Australian wine critic James Haliday had given the 2001 Saracen Estates Premium Shiraz a 91 per cent rating in his Australian Wine Companion, putting it in the top 17 per cent of Australian wines.

Mr Cazzolli said a cellar door operation being developed on Caves Road in Margaret River was gearing up for a late November opening, in time for the tourist season.

Mr Cazzolli said Saracen Estates’ initial 81 hectares on the Bussell Highway, purchased in 1999, was sold in December last year, with the winery moved to a new location at Caves Road.