Penfolds (Treasury Wine Estates) has released a trio of announcements this month starting with its recent partnership with DFS in Singapore for its Venture Beyond event.

At the pop-up at T Galleria by DFS, consumers could enjoy a tasting experience featuring five of Penfolds House Style wines, including the Penfolds Max’s Rosé 2021 (a tribute to Penfolds former Chief Winemaker Max Schubert 1948-1975).

It marked the first pour of the bright young rosé in Singapore, before its roll out across the island country later this year.

Andrea Crippa, Managing Director Asia South, DFS Group said that the collaboration gave rise to ‘an experiential destination within a destination’ that allowed them to ‘deliver an unforgettable luxury experience to our customers from around the world’.

With a focus on further expanding its global travel retail (GTR) horizons, Penfolds has announced two new appointments to the team.

An internal hire, Daevid Warren, has taken on the role of Director – Global Travel Retail and Global Hotels, while Isobel Hercus (from L’Oreal) has assumed the Global Assistant Brand Manager GTR & GOP (Global On Premise) position, based in Melbourne.

Today, Penfolds has also revealed details of its 2022 annual collection release, which is making company history for comprising three country of origin portfolios for the very first time: Australian, Californian and the inaugural French release.

The new French release within the collection, which launches on 4 August and features 21 selected bottles, is the result of a partnership with respected winemaking house Dourthe Bordeaux.

Under the direction of Penfolds Chief Winemaker Peter Gago and Dourthe Chief Winemaker Frédéric Bonnaffous, the two houses collaborated to craft the wine that spans Northern and Southern Hemispheres, blending grapes from Bordeaux (71%) and South Australia (29%).

Made from the 2019 vintage, the final wine – 2019 Penfolds II Cabernet Shiraz Merlot: A partnership between Penfolds and Dourthe (RRP AUD $500/US$345) – was blended and bottled in South Australia by Penfolds winemakers.

The collaboration is signified the ‘Penfolds II’ reference in its name and marks ‘the start of our French winemaking journey,’ according to Peter Gago, Penfolds Chief Winemaker.

Penfolds’ ambition to make wine outside of Australia has been developing for decades with its winemaking endeavours progressing in Champagne, Napa, Paso Robles California and now Bordeaux.

“Collaborating and cultivating firm friendships with the Penfolds winemaking team in blending such an exceptional wine was a dream come true,” said Patrick Jestin, Dourthe CEO.

“For us, this was ground-breaking, resulting in a totally original, innovative wine – Penfolds II – which far surpassed all our expectations, while remaining true to the culture and style of our respective countries and houses.”

The second French wine being released in August – the 2019 FWT 585 Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot (AUD$120/US$83) – is a trial Bin wine made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot, and the culmination of a series of trials and blends tasted since 2018.

The Trial wine was made at Cambon la Pelouse Winery with Penfolds Senior Winemaker Emma Wood on the ground, in the cellars and in the vineyards.

“The wines made in France pay respect to French terroir, yet one thing remains overly consistent… the Penfolds stamp,” said Gago.

“Just like our California wines, we have the French sun above and soil beneath, but everything in between is Penfolds.”

The 2022 Australian release in the collection – Bin 51 Eden Valley Riesling (AUD$40/US$28) – is led by the 68th consecutive release of Penfolds 2018 Grange.

Another highlight is the Australian 2018 Grange, with its AUD$1,000/US$690 recommended retail price.

Penfolds Californian wines, first released in 2021, also sees the next iteration in the collection with the 2019 Bin 149 Cabernet Sauvignon, Bin 704 Cabernet Sauvignon and Bin 600 Cabernet Shiraz.

“Penfolds is building a global ambition not just on paper but with our feet in vineyards across two hemispheres,” said Penfolds Managing Director Tom King.

“We are focussed on making Penfolds wines from the best winemaking regions globally. We started this journey with our partnership with Champagne (Thienot), then brought to life a 20-year endeavour with the California wine release, and now, we proudly introduce a partnership with leading a Bordeaux winery and reveal our own 2019 Trial Bin wine in France.”

Consumers can experience the collection as part of the aforementioned Venture Beyond by Penfolds series of global events, which are taking place over several days in key regions around the world, combining a mixture of masterclasses, artist collaborations and culture-led performance pieces.

The Penfolds Collection 2022 wines are available at Penfolds Cellar Doors (Magill Estate Winery and Barossa Valley Cellar Door) in Australia and select fine wine stores around the world.