Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/299589
4 2 V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T | M a y - J u n e 2 014 w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m Vino is currently growing at 30%- 40% a year in both volume and sales. "We don't think this is some sort of novelty," he said. "We think it's the future." BRIDGING THE BOTTLE Stale wine was the impetus for the design of the Anaheim, Calif.- based Stack Wines. Co-founder Matt Zimmer was drinking a previ- ously opened bottle of wine one night, and unsatisfied with its taste, grabbed a notebook and sketched a bottle with four horizontal lines through it. M o r e t h a n y e a r 's w o r t h o f research and product development later, Stack Wines was born: Four single servings of wine packaged in ready-to-drink plasticware that snaps apart, all of which is wrapped in a graphically appealing sleeve. In 2013, Southern Wine & Spir- its began distributing the innovative line, now in 30 states. " T h e r e 's a n e g a t i v e stigma against alternative wine packaging," said Jodi Wynn, Stack Wines co-founder and vice presi- dent of marketing. "Many people have the percep- tion that it's poor quality, so typically the alternative wine buyer and the 750 mL buyer are two differ- ent shoppers." Stack Wines seeks to solve this dilemma with the single-serve four-pack p r e s e n t a t i o n . " T h e y ' r e The wines, predominantly made f r o m g r a p e s f r o m Wa s h i n g t o n state, include cabernet sauvignon, merlot, chardonnay, pinot gris, white zinfandel, moscato, riesling, and most recently, an Oregon pinot noir. All are priced at $2.99, with the exception of the pinot, which is $5 a glass. "Our wines are in the $8-to- $12-a-bottle category, and we want to go up from there," Martin said. "I don't see the value to the wine market of one more jug wine prod- uct in single serve." He said he believes the stron- gest selling point of the 187 mL premium wines is size. "The con- cept of single serving will con- tinue to resonate with consumers because its greatest value is that you don't have to commit to a bottle," he said. "The wine indus- try is really the only industry that sells four servings of something at once. Con- sumers feel a sense of w a s t e o r l o s s w h e n they don't consume all four, particularly when you get into the $60-a-bottle range." "I'm hoping we're going to see the con- tinued growth of the premium end of this category, so consum- ers can explore better wines," added Mar- tin, whose Copa Di shelved in the same area as the 750 mL wines, so when people are look- ing by varieties in the store, Stack Wines are right there, which helps to elevate the image," Wynn said. While plans are underway to expand the varieties, Stack Wines currently offers four California wines: cabernet sauvignon; Cha- risma, a red blend; chardonnay and pinot grigio. As with all single-serve wines, Stack's primary customers are women, and the packaging has decidedly feminine flair. But the wines themselves are meant for anyone who wants to drink a fresh- er, quality, single serving of wine at home or on the go. Stack Wines, which "bottled" its products on Copa Di Vino's line in 2012 and 2013, has since created its own state-of-the-art filling facil- ity and began operating a distribu- tion location in Modesto, Calif., to be closer to its wine source. HAVE GLASS WILL TRAVEL The New Zealand single-serve sensation Singlz, branded as Wine for One in the United States, clev- erly seals the necks of its PET plas- tic bottles with an attractive plastic drinking vessel. Created by New Zealanders G r a e m e B l a k e a n d w i n e m a k e r Piet Nooyens, Singlz is out to change the way consumers drink wine when they're out and about. B l a k e 's b u s i n e s s p a r t n e r To n y Woods, who owns the U.S. patent on the product, worked with Dan Leese, co-founder and president of V2 Wine Group in Sonoma, Calif., to bring Wine for One to the U.S. a year ago. Wine for One is made with Sonoma County Steelhead Char- donnay and Merlot in the U.S., explained Leese, the exclusive producer/distributor of Wine for One. (Steelhead wines are also sold by the winery in 750 mL bottles.) "One of the benefits of this single-serve wine is that its appellation is Sonoma," he noted. "If you look at the premi- um end of the business, Sonoma County wines $15 and up is a cat- Stack Wines come in snap- apart four-packs.