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Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/114508
WINE: Established Growth Brands T he Wine Established Growth Brand category focuses on topselling, high-volume wine brands that have shown consistent growth over each of the past four years. These are some of the industry's powerhouse brands that help comprise the backbone of wine sales in the U.S. This year, there are nine brands represented, compared to 15 that made the list last year. Clearly, a number of best-selling wines in the U.S. did not qualify, primarily because they had a sales decline for at least one year between 2009 and 2012. The top-volume Established Growth brand is Sutter Home, featuring an extensive portfolio of offerings, with 2012 sales at just under 10.8 million 9-liter cases. Sutter Home is followed by the well-known Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi, with a lineup of more than a dozen value-priced California wines, which climbed to sales of 8.45 million 9-liter cases last year. New to the list is the Chateau Ste. Michelle portfolio of wines from Washington State. The brand grew by 10.3% last year to nearly 2.8 million cases. Also a newcomer (moving from the Fast Track category last year) is Trinchero Family Estate's Menage a Trois lineup. Usually sold for $10 and up, the line features red table wine, white table wine, rosé, chardonnay, moscato, pinot grigio, pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon. The brand hit sales of 2.14 million cases. Also moving from the Fast Track to the Established Growth Brand category is Verdi Spumante, the Italian sparkler, which notched sales of 1.3 million cases. Once again, the highest percentage gainer among the Established Growth Brands list includes the premium-priced J. Lohr Estates, which enjoyed a 12.4% increase, to more than 1.2 million cases. Trinchero Family Estates is also represented here by Sycamore Lane, featuring a line of value California varietals (up 7.2% to 658,000 cases). Real Sangria, from Spain, also returns to the Established Growth Brands list, with sales totaling 548,000 cases, a 5.0% gain. And the final Established Growth Brand, new to the category, is Wente Vineyards, which includes an extensive portfolio of premium to superpremium wines. The brand gained 7.0% in 2012, to attain sales of 415,000 cases. The brand must be a top seller, moving a minimum of 400,000 9-liter cases annually, and must have grown moderately or substantially over each of the past four years. WINE ESTABLISHED GROWTH BRANDS (thousands of 9-liter cases) 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 '11/'12 % Change '08/'12% ACGR Trinchero Family Estates 8,493 9,271 10,359 10,769 10,790 0.2% 6.2% Constellation Brands 7,300 7,326 7,570 8,000 8,450 5.6% 3.7% Chateau Ste. Michelle Ste. Michelle Wine Estates 1,953 2,034 2,338 2,520 2,780 10.3% 9.2% Ménage à Trois Trinchero Family Estates 911 1,374 1,785 2,008 2,143 6.7% 23.8% Verdi Spumante Carriage House Imports 858 982 1,098 1,225 1,300 6.1% 10.9% J. Lohr Estates J. Lohr Winery 818 888 975 1,085 1,219 12.4% 10.5% Sycamore Lane Trinchero Family Estates 400 477 567 614 658 7.2% 13.3% Real Sangria (Cruz Garcia - Real) Shaw-Ross Int'l Importers 447 460 497 522 548 5.0% 5.2% Wente Vineyards Wente Vineyards 268 280 329 388 415 7.0% 11.6% Brand Supplier Sutter Home Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi (p) Preliminary. ACGR=Annual Compound Growth Rate. WINE: Comeback Brands A s with the Spirits Comeback Brands, this category recognizes those wine brands of significant volume that saw sales decline two years ago (2011) but rebounded in 2012. This increase, however, must result in sales totals that are at least equal to or greater than the 2010 sales totals. This year, there is one Wine Comeback Brand: Red Diamond, from Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. The Washington State-produced line of mostly red varietals, retailing for about $10 per bottle, recorded an impressive 12.9% sales increase in 2012, rising 65,000 cases to 568,000 cases. 44 | MARCH 2013 WINE COMEBACK BRANDS (thousands of 9-liter cases) Brands that have rebounded in sales to at least the previous level after a recent decline. Brand Supplier Red Diamond Ste. Michelle Wine Estates 2010 2011 506 503 '11/'12 2012p % Change 568 12.9% (p) Preliminary www.cheersonline.com