［Food & Beverages domain］
The Pacific Link Project Part 2: Concha y Toro Amicis 2022 To Be Launched September 17
- Products and Services
September 19, 2024
Mercian Corporation
- Second Phase of the “Pacific Link Project” where Japan’s Mercian Corporation and Chile’s No. 1 winemaker Viña Concha y Toro collaborate to produce wine together
- Château Mercian's exports to Singapore to be expanded through Concha y Toro’s sales channels
- “Premiumizing” the wine market in Japan
TOKYO, September 19, 2024 - Mercian Corporation (Mercian) and Viña Concha y Toro (Concha y Toro) will launch the second product of the Pacific Link Project, the first project where the two companies collaborate to produce wine together. Concha y Toro Amicis 2022 will be released nationwide on Tuesday, September 17.
Concha y Toro is Chile's No. 1*1 winery with many premium brands of high quality. Château Mercian is also a leading winery in Japan, boasting a No. 1 Gold Medal in the Japan Wine Competition.
*1 INTELVID-Chile 2023 Sales Volume
In this project, Château Mercian and Concha y Toro winemakers travel back and forth between their wineries, alternately producing Château Mercian's Japanese wine and Concha y Toro's Chilean wine for not only Japanese consumers, but also for a more global audience. Under the four concepts of Innovative, Sustainability, Global, and Luxury, the winemakers will utilize their knowledge of both Japan and Chile in winemaking and marketing, aiming to make Japanese wines more attractive in Japan and abroad, and to "premiumize" Chilean wines in Japan.
Concha y Toro Amicis 2022, the second product in the project, uses grapes from D.O. Puente Alto, a region known as the “Grand Cru of Chile.” Concha y Toro Amicis 2022 is a fusion of Château Mercian's “finesse and elegance/harmonious and elegant flavor” style, while taking full advantage of the potential of Chilean grapes. Concha y Toro Amicis 2022 is a red wine with rich fruit and smooth tannins that is truly a product of the collaboration between Chile and Japan.
In 2023, the Japanese wine market is expected to decrease by 3% from the previous year, due to a decrease in the wine drinking population, and an exodus of consumers to other categories such as RTDs*2 .
*2 Abbreviation for Ready to Drink. A canned cocktail.
Through the Pacific Link Project, Mercian will "premiumize" the wine market, communicate the appeal of wine to consumers, and revitalize the market.
Four concepts of the Pacific Link Project
Innovative
The winemakers from Japan and Chile will work together to make wine with the same passion and ambition. The winemakers from both countries will collaborate to expand their knowledge and diversity in winemaking.
By continuing this project, both companies will create innovation in winemaking each year and continue to provide consumers with new surprises and excitement.
Sustainability
Mercian and Concha y Toro will mutually advance each other's sustainable winemaking efforts.
Mercian will plant a number of trees in Chile that will offset the GHG emitted by the winemaking process*3 of this project towards achieving carbon neutrality (The first tree planting was held on March 6, 2024).
*3 Calculation of greenhouse gas emissions from wine production, transportation, etc.
Global
The value of the wines produced by this project will be delivered to the global market held by Concha y Toro.
In 2024, Château Mercian's exports to Singapore will be expanded through Concha y Toro’s sales channels.
Luxury
The promotion is developed based on research on affluent consumers in Japan and Asia, and aims to cultivate new drinking groups in Japan and abroad.
By joining forces with leading Chilean and Japanese wineries, Mercian will challenge itself to create wines that have never been produced before and "premiumize" the wine market.
Comments from the winemakers
Viña Concha y Toro Technical Director
Marcelo Papa
“A red wine from D.O. Puente Alto, renowned for producing world-class Cabernet Sauvignon, this is a confident wine with cassis and plum aromas and cedar characters, a very complex and wonderful attack, and a refined palate.”
Chief Winemaker, Château Mercian
Yasuaki Katsuno
“The wine has a deep and lively garnet color and an aromatic aroma of purple flowers with a good amount of spice. The freshness of the fruit enriches the palate, and the smooth tannins linger on the palate for a long time. The moderate acidity balances the whole.”
Place of origin
Chile, D.O Puente Alto
Package
The product name “Amicis” and the side-by-side logos of both companies, which convey collaboration, are expressed in bronze foil in a luxurious design. The product name is flanked by the name of the region of origin, D.O PUENTE ALTO.
Product Details
| 1．Product name, color and alcohol content | Concha y Toro Amicis 2022 - Red - 14.5% |
|---|---|
| 2．Container | 750ml bottle |
| 3．Category | Fruit wine |
| 4．Release date/area | September 17, 2024 in Japan |
| 5．Price | Open |
About Kirin Holdings
Kirin Holdings Company, Limited is an international company that operates in the Food & Beverages domain (Food & Beverages businesses), Pharmaceuticals domain (Pharmaceuticals businesses), and Health Science domain (Health Science business), both in Japan and across the globe.
Kirin Holdings can trace its roots to Japan Brewery which was established in 1885. Japan Brewery became Kirin Brewery in 1907. Since then, the company expanded its business with fermentation and biotechnology as its core technologies, and entered the pharmaceutical business in the 1980s, all of which continue to be global growth centers. In 2007, Kirin Holdings was established as a pure holding company and is currently focusing on boosting its Health Science domain.
Under the Kirin Group Vision 2027 (KV 2027), a long-term management plan launched in 2019, the Kirin Group aims to become A global leader in CSV*, creating value across our world of Food & Beverages to Pharmaceuticals. Going forward, the Kirin Group will continue to leverage its strengths to create both social and economic value through its businesses, with the aim of achieving sustainable growth in corporate value.
*Creating Shared Value: combined added value for consumers as well as for society at large.
