If I was slightly premature on the 20th of December when I incorrectly reported that Yellow Tail had overtaken Rosemount Estate as the #2 Australian wine brand in the US, I was only out by 24 hours. For the AC Nielsen research for the four weeks ending on the 21st of December show that Yellow Tail has indeed overtaken Rosemount, to become one of the greatest success stories ever in Australian business, let alone Australian wine. The facts are these: Yellow Tail is now the 9th largest imported wine brand of any nationality in the US. In addition to being the second overall Australian brand in the US, Yellow Tail is the top-selling Australian wine in the very popular 1.5 litre format. The table below outlines exactly what Yellow Tail has achieved in just over eighteen months, when it was first introduced to the US Market. The Top Exporters of Australian Wine to the US* by Percentage of Market Share: 1. Lindemans 23.3% 2. Yellow Tail 20.9% 3. Rosemount Estate 19.6% 4. Jacob’s Creek 7.6% 5. Black Opal 4.3% 6. Penfolds 4.0% 7. Banrock Station 3.3% 8. McPherson 1.6% 9. Stonehaven 1.1% 10. Greg Norman Estates 0.9% 10. Hardy’s 0.9% *Figures from AC Nielsen, US sales 4 weeks ending 21/12/02.
