Chandon Argentina to launch in the UK

Moët Hennessy is rolling out its Chandon sparkling wine concept to the UK from May.

The wine, which comes in Brut Blanc de Noir (50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Noir) and Rosé (10% Malbec, 90% Chardonnay/Pinot Noir) styles, is made from a number of high-altitude sites in Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina.

Priced at £14.99 - and £15.99 for the Rosé - the wine will be available in Majestic in the off-trade and in the on-trade listings are with Gaucho, through its 19 restaurants, Premium Country Pubs, and new Mitchells and Butlers premium country estate with 125 pubs, among others.

The wine is positioned in a bracket above most Proseccos and below most Champagnes in the UK.

Jean-Guillaume Prats, CEO of Estates & Wines at Luxury Group LVMH, told DI that it taken four years of market research and planning to decide which of the Chandon wines – which are produced in Argentina, India, China, Brazil, California and Australia - would be best suited to the UK market.

According to Prats, Moet’s 1,000 ha of Mendoza vineyards, the first of which was established in 1959, offers wines of a fresh style and the scale necessary to meet demand in the UK market – which for the £13-£17 price bracket, could be as much as 3m bottles per year.

Chandon Argentina represents 50% of the sparkling market in Argentina and Uruguay. The UK is the first market outside of Latin America that it has launched to, although another European market could follow.