by Charles Metcalfe
Jacob´s Creek is to put its entire UK range under screw-cap, including its flagship Johann Shiraz Cabernet. The Heritage range, including the Centenery Hill Shiraz and St Hugo Coonawarra Cabernet, all priced at up to £25 a bottle, will also be switched to screw cap. The highly-regarded Johann sells for £40. As of November, these will all be switched from natural to synthetic stoppers. The Johann is currently on the 2001 vintage so it will not be seen under screw cap for a few years.
Adrian Atkinson of Pernod Ricard UK, which owns Jacob´s Creek, said that the decision was in response to the "concurrent demands of retailers, consumers and the Jacob´s Creek winemaking team." "Consumers increasingly associate screw cap wines with quality", Atkinson said. A recent poll conducted on behalf of Pernod Ricard suggested increasing consumer confidence in screw-cap wine. 68% of those asked said they were "quite likely" or "very likely" to buy wine under screw-cap within the next three months.
Jacob´s Creek is the top-selling Australian wine brand in the UK, with a 13.3% market volume share.
