Chile's Cono Sur extends Tour de France partnership

By Gemma McKenna

Published: 18 February, 2015

Concha y Toro's Cono Sur brand has signed up as official wine of the cycling race the Tour de France for the next three years.

Following a successful debut in 2014, the Chilean producer has extended the sponsorship for the next three years. The brand's connection to cycling is through its Bicicleta range of wines. It says that last year's sponsorship of Le Grand Départ - the opening three stages of the Tour which took place in the UK - helped Cono Sur to achieve almost 100% growth year on year overall.

Cono Sur Tour Cono Sur saw major sales boost thanks to Tour de FranceThe Concha y Toro owned brand saw sales double to £14.3 million in hte UK off-trade last year, with the sponsorship of the Tour de France being a major factor in that success.

The latest Nielsen off-trade sales data to January 3, 2015 shows that Chilean Pinot Noir has outsold New Zealand in both value and volume. When it comes to varietally labelled Pinot Noir, Chile has also outsold France. Cono Sur's Bicicleta Pinot Noir was the top selling Pinot Noir sku in 2014 in the UK.

The Tour gets underway on July 4, 2015 and Cono Sur is planning a raft of promotional activities around the event.

Dan Featherstone, marketing manager for Cono Sur, said: "We're obsessed with bikes, so it made absolute sense to build on this relationship with the most famous cycling event in the world. We know that when people try our wines, they love them, so it's all about giving people something extra to remember our brand by - it's 'the one with the bicycle on the front'."

In the UK Cono Sur Bicicleta will feature Tour de France branding on pack throughout the sponsorship period, as well as being the focus of a radio advertising campaign and heavy in-store marketing.

It will also get promotion in the 'caravan' during the Grand Départ phases in the Netherlands and Belgium.

The Tour de France is the world's largest annual sporting event, it finishes in Paris on July 26, after traversing around 3,350 kms and being watched by 3 billion people on TV.

Christian Prudhomme, director of the Tour de France, said: "We are delighted to welcome Cono Sur as partner of the Tour de France again this year and for the next three editions, after discovering the Tour last year at the occasion of the unforgettable Grand Départ in Yorkshire. The Tour, like the vineyard, has strong European roots, but is constantly gaining new territories in the world."

Pinot Noir - NielsenTotal UK Off-Trade - 52 w/e 3 Jan, 15


	Value Sales			Volume Sales
	52 w/e 4 Jan, 14	52 w/e 3 Jan, 15	% Change	52 w/e 4 Jan, 14	52 w/e 3 Jan, 15	% Change

Total Pinot Noir	£41.9m	£51.7m	23.4%	0.5m 9L	0.6m 9L	27.6%

New Zealand	£10.6m	£11.1m	5.3%	91k 9L	98k 9L	7.3%
Chile	£6.3m	£12.4m	95.8%	81k 9L	165k 9L	103.0%
France	£10.7m	£11.3m	4.9%	125k 9L	133k 9L	6.7%