by Meredith Galante | Jan 21, 2020 | Wine & Spirits
The days of the milkman may be long gone…but the alcohol delivery days are just getting started.
Customers don’t even need to talk to someone to order their favorite Malbec or gin. On-demand apps, such as the booming Drizly, enable consumers to order alcohol delivered to their front door as quickly as within an hour in some major cities. With 80% of all drinking taking place off-premises, according to LEK Insights, getting alcohol from an app is a convenient and easy way to drink at home.
Drizly, which has made $67 million to date, reported a 700% year-over-year sales increase, so if liquor stores and brands are not on the app, they’re missing a huge revenue opportunity. (more…)
by Meredith Galante | Jan 14, 2020 | Wine & Spirits
The buzzing you hear in a vineyard is not coming from bees or any other insect, it’s the sound of a drone in the sky.
In a world where climate change ravages crops and prices generally keep rising, winemakers are saving money, fighting climate change, and saving time all through the use of drones.
Drones are driving down the cost of pesticides, fertilizer, and labor. They even help save water. Drones analyze the needs and health of crops when climate change is making them more unpredictable. Overall, drones help winemakers save time, and the wine is better because them. (more…)
by Meredith Galante | Dec 17, 2019 | Wine & Spirits
If you’re at a bar and look around at the patrons, you might be surprised to find most of them holding an orange drink in their hand. At bachelorette parties, smiling women stare at the camera, holding skinny silver cans.
The cocktail bar patrons are drinking Aperol Spritzes and the bachelorette attendees are sipping spiked seltzers. Both groups are gravitating toward carbonated alcoholic beverages and sales in this category are spiking. Aperol sales are up 25% and the spiked seltzer market is valued at $550 million.
It’s hard to ignore that for consumers, bubbles are no longer just for champagne.
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by Meredith Galante | Dec 10, 2019 | Wine & Spirits
As the New Year begins, many consumers will be drinking less. Terms such as “Dry January,” meaning a month of no alcohol, have gained popularity for people looking to swear off alcohol after too many holiday parties.
But this shift toward drinking less is not reserved just to January. As Millenials continue to make up a larger segment of alcohol consumers, this health-focused group is reaching for low- or no-alcohol wines in a trend called “mindful drinking.”
This is a rising trend that smart distributors won’t ignore. (more…)
by Meredith Galante | Dec 5, 2019 | Wine & Spirits
The new “roaring ’20s” are nearly upon us, and this time they will look very different than they did last century, especially for the wine and spirits industry in the United States.
When 1920 started, so did Prohibition. But as 2020 starts, the wine and spirits industry is booming more than ever. So what will the next decade hold? So far the themes appear to be classic wine, canned cocktails, and technology.
We’ve compiled your guide to the top-10 trends to look forward to in 2020 and beyond as we enter this new decade. (more…)
by Meredith Galante | Nov 27, 2019 | Wine & Spirits
When ordering a cocktail at a bar, customers are used to the main ingredient being a liquor such as gin, vodka, or tequila.
But more and more often, wine is being used to create a new drink of choice for customers, lower the alcohol content of cocktails, and enable bartenders to cut back on pouring too much straight liquor.
“When used in cocktails, wines reduce the need to add excessive amounts of alcohol (that can make a drink too boozy) and can add a softer sweetness than syrups,” said a report by Southern Glazer, the US’ largest distributor of drinks.
According to Forbes, 23% of bartenders said they’d use rosé in their cocktails. With rosé sales up 48% from last year, capitalizing on the popularity of the popularity of it and other wines makes sense for brands and bartenders.
Wine is getting new life as a cocktail ingredient – and no, we don’t just mean just spritzes. Let’s look at why. (more…)
by Meredith Galante | Nov 5, 2019 | Wine & Spirits
The days of customers ordering “the house white” or “the house red” are dwindling.
Wine drinkers now want to know why they hate Chardonnay but love a good Sauvignon Blanc.
Wine lovers are looking to take classes, go to events, and have unique experiences while drinking their wine to understand why they like what they like. Wine event attendance numbers are up, and brands should consider creating their own events to get customers interested in their wines. (more…)
by Meredith Galante | Oct 29, 2019 | Wine & Spirits
Tourism in the Greek isles has been on the rise, as has drinking Greek wine.
Between 2009 to 2016, Greek wines sales have increased by 81% in the United States. While this is huge growth, Greek wine sales increased by 562% in Japan, 556% in China, and 105% in Australia, a country that has its own reputation in fine winemaking.
In addition to an increase in quantity of sales, consumers are also willing to pay more for Greek wine. How can you take advantage of this new trend? Let’s take a look. (more…)
by Meredith Galante | Oct 22, 2019 | Wine & Spirits
Ordering a glass of Rose is not so simple anymore. Now there’s rose cider, CBD-infused cocktails, spiked seltzers, and more.
Drinks have gone hybrid. Pairing two types of drinks has created new sectors in the market and resulted in booming sales on products like rose cider and spiked seltzers. (more…)
by Meredith Galante | Oct 1, 2019 | Wine & Spirits
Consider this list: John Legend, Drew Barrymore, Steph Curry, Jon Bon Jovi, and Sarah Jessica Parker. What do all of these people have in common?
We’re not talking about the Oscars or an A-List Hollywood party. All of these celebrities and stars share something besides being famous: they all make wine.
Actors, singers, and sports stars are putting their big names behind smaller wineries — or creating their own brand — to celebrate their love of wine and spirits. Stars are taking their fame, pairing it with their love for spirits and helping brands increase sales.
Celebrities are making money off the spirits, too. Just take George Clooney’s Casamigos which sold for $1 billion to Diageo in June 2017.
But who is buying these products, and are they any good? (more…)
