Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines Celebrates the Craft of Winemaking with the Introduction of Woodwork™ Wines

NAPA, Calif., Aug. 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Follow your passion. Work Hard. Stay humble.™ Woodwork™, the latest wine brand released from Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines (DC&E) launching today, embodies this mantra through winemaking.

Woodwork™ believes the best work is done by hand and from the heart. With great care and attention to detail, high quality oak staves have been selected to bring the influence of oak into each varietal's taste profile. By adjusting the level of oak influence, Woodwork™ has developed three varietals, each rich with character. The use of oak staves, a barrel alternative, permits the winemaker to introduce the oak flavors to the wine in a measurable and repeatable way allowing for experimentation through a variety of distinct blends. This combination creates a variety of wines that are used to craft blends unique to Woodwork™. The use of oak staves provides robust flavors, but is low impact on the environment due to being more efficient in performance than traditional wine barrels.

Winemaker Monica Belavic embodies the spirit of Woodwork™ through continuous experimentation and endlessly following her passion to create great wine. "Through the development of Woodwork™ I've truly been able to follow and embrace my passion for quality winemaking," said Monica Belavic, Head DC&E Winemaker. "Experimenting outside the traditional use of oak barrels allowed me to craft unique blends that give wine lovers a distinctive experience."

Three Central Coast grown varietals are available nationwide beginning today and will deliver distinct oak influences and fruit expressions. The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon achieves a balance between rich fruit and spicy oak, delivering dark chocolate, black cherry, hazelnut and berry aromas. The 2013 Chardonnay exhibits a striking balance of rich tropical fruit and fragrant oak while opening the nose with lovely pineapple, caramel and vanilla aromas. The 2013 Pinot Noir exudes rich varietal character complemented by the precise hand of oak-influence with the palate delivering juicy cranberry and plum flavors with fine tannins and supple texture.

"We wanted Woodwork™ to appeal to wine lovers who are looking to discover new taste experiences and appreciate wines that are authentic and stand out among the rest," stated Courtney Mortimer, Innovation Brand Manager at DC&E. "We seek to inspire and celebrate the craftsman in all of us by creating robust varietals that originated from the experimentation of using oak staves."

The introduction of Woodwork™ will be supported through in-store promotions, point of sale materials, public relations efforts and a cause marketing campaign in early 2015. The wines are available in stores nationwide and online at www.woodworkwines.com and will be sold at the suggested retail price of $14.99. 

About Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines

Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines (DC&E) is part of Diageo (Dee-AH-Gee-O); the world's leading premium drinks business. DC&E produces and markets premium wines from around the globe including Napa Valley, Sonoma, the California Central Coast, France, New Zealand and Australia. Brands include: Beaulieu Vineyard, Sterling Vineyards, Sterling Vintner's Collection, Rosenblum Cellars, Chalone Vineyard, Acacia Vineyard, and Provenance Vineyards. DC&E is also a leading importer of classified Bordeaux and Burgundy estate-bottled wines.

About Diageo

Diageo is the world's leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, beer and wine. These brands include Johnnie Walker®, Crown Royal® Blended Whisky, J&B®, Windsor®, Buchanan's® and Bushmills®, Smirnoff®, Ciroc® Vodka and Ketel One® Vodka, Baileys®, Captain Morgan®, Tanqueray® and GUINNESS®.

Diageo is a global company, with its products sold in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE). For more information about Diageo, its people, brands, and performance, visit us at www.diageo.com. For our global resource that promotes responsible drinking through the sharing of best practice tools, information and initiatives, visit DRINKiQ.com.

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SOURCE Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines