Towering back from the dead

Black Tower - the German wine that no Seventies dinner party was complete without - is to be given a £1million relaunch in a bid to woo younger drinkers.

Like its French and Hungarian rivals - Hirondelle and Bulls Blood - Black Tower's height of popularity was in the Seventies when it washed down prawn cocktails and coq au vin in trendy bistros.

However, come the end of that era - described by some as "the decade that taste forgot" - Black Tower's popularity started to wane, especially after its trademark black earthenware bottle was replaced by glass. Today it has slumped down the rankings to No 18 in the bestselling wine in the British list.

But Reh Kendermann, the company which owns the brand, is now fighting back by updating its image and adding two new varieties to the range.

Black Tower, it says, retains a loyal following and remains the No1 exported white wine from Germany. The revamp will involve a £1million advertising and marketing campaign aimed at younger drinkers.

Steve Holt, director of wine marketing at Grants of St James, which distributes Black Tower here, said: "Young drinkers are approaching the brand without any negative baggage and they're willing to try the new wines without any prejudice."

Black Tower was launched in the UK in 1968. It changed from a Liebfraumilch to Rheinhessen in 1989, then to the single Rivaner grape in 1997.

The new Black Tower, in a redesigned black bottle, will appear in shops in June, along with two new varieties - Pinot Noir and Riesling.

The German Wine Institute announced last September it was launching a campaign to improve the image of its country's wines, best known in the shape of Black Tower and Blue Nun. Although nearly half of exported German wine comes to the UK, it is mainly the simple, cheaper varieties.