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4 4 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 Colo.-based the Infinite Monkey Theorem launched a new 187 mL product outside its home state for the first time this April. Originally packaged in a 250 mL can that Infinite Monkey Theorem winemaker and CEO Ben Parsons had hoped would be approved by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) for out-of-state shipping, the wine is now available also benefit from Zipz technology: The company partnered with Men- docino County's Fetzer Vineyards for its Fetzer Crimson Red Blend and Quartz White Blend wines in the Zipz container. THE RETURN OF THE CAN One of the few wine-in-a-can concepts on the market, Denver, in the ready-to-ship 187 mL format. The wines will first be available in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Illinois. " W e ' v e s e e n d o u b l e - d i g i t growth each year," said Parsons, who presents his four wines – Red Can, White Can, Moscato Can and Rosé Can – in highly graphic, atten- tion-grabbing aluminum. "We're making some serious changes to the packaging," Parsons said of the 187 mL launch. "It will still be in a can, but with less graf- fiti and with more mass consumer appeal. It works in Colorado because everyone knows us, but we needed to make it more consumer-friendly to be viable nationally." But fans in Colorado need not worry: Parsons' new packaging will retain the unmistakable Infinite Monkey feel. "To me, wine in a can is all about instant gratification," he said. "The wine industry is so full of pretense. We just want to make wine accessible." Je n n i f e r Strailey has written about food, wine and housewares for retail-focused business-to-busi- ness publications for more than 15 years. She is the Spotlight editor for Vineyard & Winery Management, a past editor with The Gourmet Retailer magazine, and a contribut- ing editor with Progressive Grocer. Comments? Please e-mail us at feedback@vwmmedia.com. Infinite Monkey Theorem in Colorado will soon be launching a new design for its canned wine (the current packaging is shown). The 187 mL category is a $253.6 million segment in the U.S. and continues to grow, according to Danny Brager, senior vice president, alcoholic bev- erages, at Nielsen. The latest sales data on single serve shows growth by value of more than 6% for the last 52 weeks ending Jan. 4, 2014. And while this growth has slowed from more than 15% in 2012, 187 mL is still outpacing 750 mL bottles, which grew 5.2% for the same time period. Brager said that the 187 mL category's slower sales pace for the most recent 52 weeks is primar- ily due to product price increases and fewer promo- tions as compared to the previous year. The average price during the 2012 period was about 30 cents cheaper than the average price in 2013. In terms of plastic vs. glass, availability plays a significant role. "There has been an increase in dis- tribution points for 187 mL plastic of plus-55% when compared to two-year-ago levels," Brager explained. "187 mL glass has only grown by 7% during the same time period." But while plastic is growing at plus-14%, it represents just 15% of the 187 mL cat- egory. Glass single-serve, which comprises 85% of the category, is growing at 3.3%. – J. S. WHAT'S SELLING: PLASTIC OR GLASS