<p>Building a new wine category is not something that is easy to plan.&nbsp; It often is more like a startup, where belief in the product and market is just as critical as a defined strategy.&nbsp; That's how Luisa Amorim, CEO of Amorim Family Estates, launched <a href="https://www.quintanova.com/en/wines/?f_marca=232" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mirabilis</a> into being an iconic still white wine of the Douro Valley.&nbsp; She outlines priority markets, views on scores and social media, and her belief in word of mouth marketing.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><br><p>Detailed Show Notes:&nbsp;</p><br><p>Luisa’s background: hospitality, marketing; started in the family business at 23; spent 3 years in a global rotation program</p><br><p>Amorim Family Estates</p><ul><li>3 regions in Portugal (Douro, Dao, Alentejo)</li><li>Each property has its own winery and team and does hospitality with a culture and food component</li><li>Division of bigger Amorim cork company and family</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Mirabilis (part of Quinta Nova)</p><ul><li>Produced white wine from the beginning (2000)</li><li>First an unoaked white, then a reserve, then Mirabilis (Latin for “marvelous”)</li><li>White was not popular in Portugal at the time, production processes were not set up for whites</li><li>Took 2 years of experimentation, 1st vintage 2011 (2,000 bottles)</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Whites still have pricing barriers vs reds</p><p>Douro white differentiation: close to Atlantic, schist soils, native grapes, and blending</p><p>Introducing Douro whites: older people were harder to get on board, younger were more open to exploration</p><p>Need to have belief in product and its viability over having a detailed marketing plan</p><p>Marketing focus has been on teaching Portuguese wines (including culture and traditions)</p><br><p>Geographic focus for Mirabilis</p><ul><li>Portugal 1st - need to be well respected in the home country</li><li>Switzerland, Benelux (lots of Michelin Star restaurants)</li><li>Not Scandinavia (targeting higher end of the market)</li><li>Brazil (speak Portuguese)</li><li>USA, Canada</li></ul><p><br></p><p>5 people, based in Portugal, work internationally; travel 3-5x/year to each market</p><p>While design and packaging, price positioning are important, the sales team and their relationships are critical in the wine industry</p><p>Having a good wine is more important than press or reviews, people are paying less attention to reviews</p><p>Consumers now look at peers and friends for recommendations and they need to trust the wine producer</p><p>Social media - “should be doing more” - hiring younger people into marketing</p><br><p>Wine marketing needs to capture the “soul” of the wine</p><ul><li>Make things simpler, less technical talk</li><li>More provocative, “sexy” vs saying the same thing all wineries say</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Has not done any paid advertising</p><p>Relies on word of mouth (people taste, buy, and talk) and partnerships</p><p><br></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>