September 2011
10 years young and on top of the world
2011 marks the 10th birthday for [yellow tail]
It’s hard to believe that [yellow tail], the Australian family-owned wine brand that has won millions of hearts around the world, is only turning ten this year. In such a short time, the brand has experienced astonishing growth and there’s no sign of slowing.
John Casella, Managing Director of Casella Wines, created [yellow tail] in 2001. His mission was to make a wine that people could enjoy on any occasion, and that consistently over delivered on quality and value. He set about creating a flavoursome wine and approachable Australian brand that would appeal to people wanting to avoid the seriousness of wine.
[yellow tail] set itself apart from it’s competitors by simplifying wine. The new brand invited consumers to enjoy wine their own way and encouraged people to break the wine ‘rules’. The labels were (and still are) colourful and fun, the language casual and easy to understand and the wine itself about enjoying good taste and great times.
“When we created [yellow tail], we wanted to keep wine fun and simple. We didn’t want to intimidate wine lovers, rather to embrace them and enhance their social lives,” said John.
John’s approach was unique. He launched his Australian wine label in the USA in 2001 with wine importers, W.J. Deutsch prior to launching the brand on home soil. [yellow tail]’s sales forecast for its first year in the USA was 25,000 cases, though actual sales exceeded 500,000 cases. By the end of 2002, more than 2million cases of [yellow tail] wine had been sold in the USA.
Ireland and British Columbia in Canada also adopted [yellow tail] in 2001 and it was not long before others, such as Japan, Australia and Germany embraced the brand. [yellow tail] is now distributed to more than 50 countries around the world.
The statistics are staggering. In just ten years, Casella Wines has become Australia’s largest wine exporter, which is a tremendous feat for a family business. More than 2million glasses of [yellow tail] are enjoyed around the world every day which requires production of approximately 12million cases of wine each year.
John Casella suggests that the key to securing [yellow tail]’s continued success in the future is consistency.
“Many people know and love [yellow tail] for its smooth and rich flavours and excellent value. It’s my mission to ensure we continue to deliver these qualities year-on-year,” said John.
He also believes that it is important to tap into the digital space of [yellow tail] fans.
“We need to communicate with our consumers in a way that they enjoy. Increasingly, this is through digital channels such as facebook, twitter and our dynamic website. We are committed to expanding our presence in this space and enhancing the [yellow tail] experience beyond the wine itself,” he added.
For more information on [yellow tail], visit www.yellowtailwine.com
ENDS
Notes to Editor:
To commemorate the 10th birthday of [yellow tail], Casella Wines has produced an anniversary product. Only 1,000 commemorative bottles of premium quality 2006 Barossa Valley Shiraz will be released to friends of [yellow tail] in August 2011. The product will not be available for retail sale.
For more information or images please contact Kate Bradley or Gillian Martin: media@yellowtailwine.com or +61 2 9330 4700