Case Study | Groupe Sylvain

• Client: Groupe Sylvain (Tonnellerie Sylvain and Foudrerie Marc Grenier)
• Market: domestic and international sales prospection
• Challenge: demonstrating the impact of different toast levels and barrel ranges on the aromatic profile of wine to winemakers
• Solution: 108 presentation sets of 6 x 4 cl Vinottes® (1 control sample and 5 samples for 5 different toast levels), for a comparative tasting of the ranges
• Type of collaboration: Ongoing operation supporting sales prospection

The context

The value of a barrel cannot be evaluated on a simple technical specification sheet: it is revealed at the time of tasting. The wood type, grain, and toast level subtly shape the structure, aromas, and balance of the wine. Tasting is therefore essential as the central lever of the sales approach.

• An effect that can only be perceived through tasting
  The added value and effect of a barrel remain abstract without tasting. Only side-by-side comparison in the glass reveals the difference between one range and another.
• International sales prospection
  Sales representatives and agents prospect winemakers in France as well as in export markets. Equipping them with a comparative tasting using full-sized bottles would be expensive, cumbersome, and impractical.

The challenge

Groupe Sylvain wanted to equip its sales teams and agents with a tool enabling them to demonstrate the sensory signature of its barrel ranges anywhere. The prospect needed to be able to taste side by side the same wine aged in each of the ranges and compare it to a control sample, in order to perceive the difference concretely.

It was therefore necessary to make this comparative tasting portable, accurate, and cost-effective, putting it into the hands of the entire sales force for domestic and international prospection.

Implementation

Groupe Sylvain sent its various wine bottles to our production site. Our teams handled the entire process: rebottling under inert atmosphere, labelling, final packaging of the presentation sets, and product dispatch. Each sample was labelled and each set customized in the cooperage’s branding.

The benefits

A portable demonstration
Each sales representative and agent now relies on a complete comparative tasting of all ranges. Convenient and compact, this lightweight prospection tool fits easily into a briefcase to accompany all business trips, both in France and internationally.

Preserved organoleptic properties
Thanks to our patented process that preserves all the organoleptic properties of wines, each sample faithfully reproduces the signature of each barrel range, making the demonstration convincing for prospects.

A tool adopted by the teams
Feedback from the operation has been very positive: sales reps and agents alike appreciated the tool. The format is now well-known enough that it no longer raises questions regarding perception among contacts, greatly facilitating its use in the field.

Facilitated international prospection
Lightweight and shatterproof, the samples are naturally suited for transport and overseas shipping, where transporting full bottles would quickly become prohibitive, costly, and risky.

Controlled costs
Sending wine samples proves significantly more economical than shipping full bottles, in France and internationally. Furthermore, restocking sales reps several times a year with sample sets costs far less than supplying full bottles continuously.

A refined brand image
The sets are customized and samples labelled in the client’s brand colours.

By providing its sales force with a practical, accurate comparative tasting tool, Vinovae’s Vinottes® enabled Groupe Sylvain to place the signature of its barrels into the hands of all its sales representatives and agents worldwide. A demonstration that was once complex to organize now fits in a single box set.