‘Consumers don’t care’ about wine’s source country or grape varietal, claims Benchmark Drinks head

The MD of Benchmark Drinks, the company behind Kylie Minogue and Elton John's namesake wine brands, has urged the wine industry to steer clear of established descriptor cues for brands below a certain price point.Speaking at The Beverage Forum Europe 2026 in London today, Paul Schaafsma (below), who was CEO of Accolade Wines prior to joining Benchmark in early 2018, drew the line at the UK per-bottle SRP of GBP7.50 (US$9.95). Below this, he argues, consumers are interested less in where a wine has been sourced from or from which grapes it has been produced, and more in its taste profile and