Gigglewater prosecco launched in the UK

A new prosecco, Gigglewater, has been launched in the UK. Inspired by the 1920’s American term for an alcoholic beverage, Gigglewater offers a prosecco DOC; a frizzante secco in bottle and 20cl can, as well as a range of 20cl canned flavoured sparkling wines.

Catherine Monahan, founder/CEO of Gigglewater Wines says: “With growth of sparkling wine continuing at around 23% we are really excited to be launching a new brand into this dynamic category. By initially leading with prosecco, frizzante and ‘secco’ we retain the Italian link whilst allowing ourselves the flexibility to move away from Italy in the future and build a global brand. By taking advantage of changing technology, innovation, occasion-based drinking and worldwide prosecco pricing fluctuations, we have created a range of modern wines for 2017 that are relevant to Millennials and female consumers.

“We believe that there needs to be more of a focus on wellness and balance in the alcoholic drinks industry and in people’s lives in general, so this is the core theme and foundation of the Gigglewater brand.”

The Gigglewater Wines range comprises the following:

• Gigglewater Prosecco DOC 75cl, made from 100% Glera grapes, at a recommended retail price of £9.99.

• Gigglewater 20cl Frizzante Secco, made from 100% Glera grapes from the Marca Trevigiana region. It comes in a single serve 20cl can at a recommended retail price of £1.99 making it extremely convenient for the consumer (Grab&Go) and allowing portion control in the on trade. The wine has long lasting bubbles, has a tech liner in the can to keep the sparkling wine fresh for 18 months.

• Gigglewater Frizzante Secco 75cl at a recommended retail price of £6.99 - £7.99. The frizzante secco options allows for lower wine duty which is reflected in the RRPs on shelf making it more affordable to consumers and increasing profitability for the trade.

• A range of flavoured sparkling wines in 20cl cans at a recommended retail price of £1.89: Strawberry and Rhubarb; Elderflower and Mint; Peach; Pink Bubbles Rosé.

Monahan says: “Our research and forecasting has focused our attention on two vitally important trends and realities that we cannot ignore; health and wellness and Millennials. In the US, Millennials purchased 159.6 million cases of wine in 2015 which accounts for 42% of all wine consumed in the US last year. Canned wine sales grew massively from $668,003 in the year ending June 2015 to $6.7 million in the year ending June 2016.

Our research amongst females and Millennials has brought up the same message a number of times: they love bubbles, but more importantly they love the fact that they don’t feel intimidated by sparkling wines/prosecco as much as they do when having to choose from a range of red and white wines”.

The Gigglewater can is packaged in a ‘tastefully rebellious’ style and has taken cues from non-wine categories. It is aimed at millennials who have a balanced lifestyle and passion for experiential and different drinking occasions. With a chunky bottle format, the Gigglewater bottle shows the clarity and freshness of the wine and the choice of label colour was reached using trend and colour popularity research among the target audience.  

Gigglewater is market-ready and has been very positively received by the UK off and on trade. The brand has already gained a number of listings in the independent, wholesale and cash and carry sectors and has been listed by a large on-trade group, all going live in early 2017. Champagne Solutions, one of the leading distributors in Ibiza has taken on the brand for Ibiza, Formentera and Portugal. Arrangements are also in place with a leading online distributor in China and Australia. UK stock of the brand will be available in can and bottle format from January 2017 and will be available online via Cellar Link in UK, China and Australia, from January 2017.  

Consumers will be able to join the Gigglewater Wine Club online community, where they can purchase product and have access to experiences and offers such as free tickets for tastings and events, wellness retreats and gastronomy trips.  Members will be part of a group of consumers who can brainstorm and influence innovation and attend events such as the brand’s Ibiza launch party in April 2017.

The UK launch of Gigglewater is being supported by a marketing campaign to drive awareness and engagement with the target audience. The activity includes an omni-channel campaign #howtomakeagirllaugh and will include a collection of comedy videos written and acted by an up and coming female Bafta nominated comedian. Further marketing activities involving comedy, sponsorships, health and wellness retreats and collaborative marketing activities with retailers and on trade customers will take place in 2017.

Monahan concludes: “We have a social mission at Gigglewater, which is to highlight the need for balance and wellness in people’s lives and to give back to the community. This will be seen in our marketing and we will be supporting a number of charities starting with the Cahaya Orphanage in Borobudar, Indonesia. Our mission is to build a bigger home for children orphaned during the volcanic eruption and the progress will be documented and displayed on our website.”

• Catherine Monahan will be talking about the creation of the Gigglewater brand at the The Drinks Symposium, hosted by TheDrinksReport.com, at the Packaging Innovations NEC show on March 2, 2017. Each of our three speakers has just launched a new drinks brand in the UK. They explain the fascinating stories behind their new products and how they’ve set about the packaging and marketing, explaining the problems and solutions along the way. 

8 December 2016 - Sam Coyne The Drinks Report, editorial assistant