Saint Clair Number One in the UK
08 January 2018
Wine Business Solutions (WBS’s) Wine On-Premise UK 2018 survey has identified Saint Clair
Family Estate as being most listed table wine brand in the UK. This is the 9th survey conducted by Wine Business Solutions providing 180,000 listings as a database for longer term analysis. The
survey claims to be the most comprehensive investigation ever conducted into on-premise distribution throughout the UK.
Saint Clair Family Estate are proud to be a family owned Marlborough winery now exporting to
over 70 markets throughout the world. The UK is a significant export market for Saint Clair by both volume and value. Saint Clair have developed a solid relationship with their distributor Hallgarten
Druitt, having worked with them for over 15 years. Hallgarten are attributable for Saint Clair’s success in this most challenging market.
Hallgarten are major award winners in their own right. WBS’s survey named Hallgarten as
‘Distributor of the Year’. Other company recognition for Hallgarten in recent years are as follows;
SWA - New World Wine Merchant 2017
SWA - Speciality Merchant of the Year 2016
WSET - Educator of the Year 2015 and 2016 - nominee
IWC - Wine List of the Year 2015 and 2016
SWA - European Merchant of the Year 2015
Saint Clair are thrilled that their wines are so popular within the highly competitive
on-trade. It is a desire for most wine companies to achieve sales across most market trade sectors. Achieving a balance of this is challenging and often not attainable. Saint Clair have been able to
do this with a wide selection of wines that fit the needs of each buyer, thus providing ultimate accessibility for their consumers.
Managing Director Neal Ibbotson comments, “We feel very proud that our wines are admired and
consumed around the globe and hearing that our wines are the number one table wine sold in the UK is something we never thought possible whilst also maintaining our much needed sales in the
off-trade. We have been able to achieve these results through great distribution and our incredibly dedicated winery team.”
This success along with the quality focus of the entire team has led Saint Clair Family
Estate to being recognized as one of New Zealand’s most successful global wine brands.
The Saint Clair Vineyard Kitchen team a thrilled to share their news of success in New
Zealand’s Beef and Lamb Excellence Awards 2018 receiving a coveted gold plate.
The event, beginning 22 years ago, has now become a highly regarded and well recognised
national food awards recognising quality. This year attracted a record number of entries with over 230 New Zealand restaurants taking part.
Head Chef Keith Gregory and his team utilise their innovation and creativity presenting an
enticing seasonal menu at the Vineyard Kitchen. For the entry into the Beef and Lamb Awards they cooked both a beef and a lamb dish for the anonymous assessments. The beef dish was slow cooked smoked
beef short rib with a creamy celeriac purée, winter greens and roast gourmet potatoes served with a Saint Clair Cabernet Merlot jus. The judges commended that it was a “delicious slow cooked beef
dish with eye appealing presentation.” The lamb was warm Israeli couscous salad with Moroccan seasoned slow roasted pulled lamb, a medley of roasted vegetables and coloured chard. High praise from
the judges commenting “The lamb was tender and the Moroccan seasoning did not overpower the delicious lamb flavour….. highly deserving of the Excellence Award.”
Keith Gregory comments; “I am thrilled to be part of the team to receive this award
recognising excellence. We work hard at the Vineyard Kitchen to provide food of a high standard reflective of the Marlborough region and season wherever possible. With our ultimate aim to create the
best possible Saint Clair experience to all our customers, the provision of high quality food is a key component for us to achieve our goals.”
The award is displayed proudly at the Saint Clair Vineyard Kitchen, a symbol of the
excellence in food for customers to enjoy with a glass of Saint Clair’s award-winning wine.
Sydney International Wine Competition has announced their winners and Saint Clair Family Estate
has won a grand total of 10 Gold Medals.
Blue Gold and Top 100 – Saint Clair Pioneer Block 10 Twin Hills Chardonnay
2016
Blue Gold and Top 100 – Saint Clair Pioneer Block 15 Strip Block Pinot Noir 2016
Blue Gold and Top 100 – Saint Clair Pioneer Block 23 Master Block Pinot Noir 2016
Blue Gold and Top 100 – Saint Clair Pioneer Block 20 Cash Block Sauvignon Blanc 2016
Blue Gold – Saint Clair Pioneer Block 14 Doctor’s Creek Pinot Noir 2016
Blue Gold – Saint Clair Pioneer Block 17 Plateau Merlot 2015
Blue Gold – Saint Clair Barrique Sauvignon Blanc 2015
Blue Gold – Saint Clair Pioneer Block 3 43 Degrees Sauvignon Blanc 2016
Blue Gold – Saint Clair Pioneer Block 9 Big John Riesling 2016
Gold – Saint Clair The Honourable Dillon Sauvignon Blanc 2016
The Sydney International Wine Competition is unique as it is food-oriented. In its
24th year, the wine show only accepts 2,000 entries. This is to ensure their judges have time to properly and fully judge and select the award winners via a
three-phase blind tasting judging system. In the third phase the finalists are then judged beside food dishes of similar palate weight.
Saint Clair Family Estate is traditionally recognised for Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir
but as seen in this impressive line-up of awards, along with consistent achievements in other international wine shows, there is a broad range of varietals achieving top quality recognition.
Managing Director and owner Neal Ibbotson comments “This ongoing and consistent award
success is attributed to a team effort with uncompromising focus on quality at each stage of the winemaking process from the vineyard through to the finished wine.”
The family owned Marlborough wine company is proud of this consistent and ongoing
success which continues to further cement their reputation as a leading New Zealand wine producer.
After recently winning the trophy for Winery of the Year with Winestate (as well as
Winemaker of the Year – Hamish Clark), this is an incredible achievement and additional quality endorsement for Saint Clair.
Saint Clair Family Estate partners with US wine distributors E and J Gallo Winery
02 August 2017
Marlborough family-owned winery Saint Clair Family Estate is excited to announce E. & J. Gallo Winery is the exclusive national distributor for the Saint Clair Family
Estate wine brand in the U.S.
E. & J. Gallo Winery is the world’s largest family owned wine company. As well as crafting its own wine, the company has a portfolio of more than 90 wines and
spirits which it imports and distributes throughout the U.S.
Saint Clair Family Estate founder Neal Ibbotson said the agreement with E. & J. Gallo Winery was a significant step in growing brand awareness for Saint Clair Family
Estate in the U.S market.
“Saint Clair Family Estate is thrilled to have entered into a partnership with E. & J. Gallo Winery as the exclusive national distributor for the Saint Clair brand in
the USA. We share many of the same values – family, passion and quality and the move is an exciting opportunity for us to further develop our brand in the U.S market.”
Gallo premium wine division senior vice president and general manager Roger Nabedian welcomed the partnership with Saint Clair Family Estate, which is renowned around the
world as a producer of consistently high quality, award-winning wine.
“Saint Clair Family Estate is well-known around the world and we are excited to introduce this award-winning Sauvignon Blanc to American consumers.”
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