Press release: TWO OCEANS FLAGGED BY NORTH AMERICAN CRITICS FOR GREAT VALUE

TWO OCEANS FLAGGED BY NORTH AMERICAN CRITICS FOR GREAT VALUE

Two Oceans, an established favourite of the Canadians, is increasingly tripping off the tongues of the Americans, following rave reviews that also highlight the brand’s exceptional value.

The most recent accolades include an A rating from authoritative magazine, Wine Enthusiast, with a Best Buy recommendation in its September 2010 issue for the 2009 Two Oceans Sauvignon Blanc and an A+ score for the 2009 Two Oceans Shiraz from well-known wine writer, critic and blogger, Natalie MacLean, who describes the wine as a “Good Value Pick”.

The latest recommendations co-incide with soaring sales in the US, as well as ongoing global growth for the brand, in defiance of the protracted recession.

Earlier vintages of both wines have also been positively reviewed by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, receiving A+ scores, while noted for their outstanding value.

Wine Enthusiast describes the Sauvignon blanc as “nice and fresh” with “notes of tropical fruit, ripe gooseberry, tangerine and sweet grass supported by pineapple acidity. (It is) balanced and easy to drink with a crisp, clean finish.”

The same wine also comes in for an A+ rating from veteran Canadian critic, Anthony  Gismondi likes its “fresh, bright green fruit nose with bits of honey and an undercurrent of grass.”  He also “love(s) the balance and fruit not too sweet not too bitter and the light passion fruit finish” and praises its ability to “over deliver(s) for the price.

MacLean praises the Shiraz for its “juicy purple plums, blueberries and blackberries with a supple, smooth texture.”

Spokesperson for the brand, Carlen Groenewald says the consistency of good reviews in North America that focus simultaneously on quality and value, has helped to build the Two Oceans profile in one of its most important sales regions.  “For the majority of winelovers, especially when choosing easy-drinking, everyday wines, top quality is not enough.  Demonstrable value is a critical factor driving purchasing decisions. With leading opinion-formers continuously focusing on the Two Oceans combination of great taste and value, the brand is able to stand out in a highly competitive arena.”

She adds that Two Oceans remains the top-selling South African wine brand in Canada, while sales in key markets such as the UK, Germany, Holland, Europe, Latin America and Africa are robustly on the rise.

Locally, she says, there has been continued critical affirmation of the wines in the range: “In addition to the regularly published good ratings, in a recent blind tasting conducted in South Africa, involving a panel of  journalists and a wine adviser to one of the leading supermarket chains, these same two wines, when appraised alongside similarly priced wines produced in South Africa, as well as Australia and the US, received a big thumbs-up from the majority, for their superior taste.”

In South Africa, Two Oceans whites sell for around R26 and reds for R28.

DATE                         AUGUST 4, 2010

ISSUED BY               DKC (DE KOCK COMMUNICATIONS   

FOR                            TWO OCEANS WINES

QUERIES                   CARLEN GROENEWALD, DISTELL GENERAL MARKETING MANAGER: WINES +27 21 809 7000 or 082 371 1997

                                    TESSA DE KOCK/MARLISE POTGIETER, DKC + 27 21 4222690