The global equity of wine brands has stabilised but has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels, according to the 2022 Wine Intelligence Global Wine Brand Power Index.

Australia’s Yellow Tail retains the number one spot in the index, with Concha y Toro’s Casillero del Diablo in second place.

Both brands place in the top three of the 25 markets surveyed for the index, with Yellow Tail claiming a top 10 ranking in 10 markets and Casillero del Diablo in 14 markets.

Wine Intelligence said Yellow Tail’s relative strength in the US was reason for its overall top position.

Gallo’s Barefoot was in third place, and the producer’s Apothic and Dark Horse brands were among the biggest climbers in this year’s index. Chile’s Santa Carolina was another big climber.

The top 15 global brands collectively scored 6.5 points more on the 2022 index than in 2021, but scores remain substantially lower than in 2020, when the report was based on surveys conducted in 2019.

Wine Intelligence said that during the pandemic consumer awareness levels were relatively resilient, with the main changes coming from recalled purchase and connection scores, which both fell significantly for the top 15 global brands.

Lulie Halstead, COO at Wine Intelligence parent IWSR Group, said: “In a year characterised by relatively less upheaval for consumers, it’s a relief to see equity for wine brands has stabilised in terms of consumer connection, as wine drinkers have returned to more frequent touchpoints with wine in both retail and the on-premise.

“Successful wine brand owners will be those with a focus on restoring the fundamental positive connections that have propelled their brands to such widespread success on the world stage in the first place, while doing their best to maintain availability and the value proposition amid input-cost increases and supply chain disruptions.”

The Wine Intelligence Global Wine Brand Power Index is based on feedback from 25,000 wine consumers in 25 markets that have over 400 million wine drinkers in total.