Beverage Dynamics is the largest national business magazine devoted exclusively to the needs of off-premise beverage alcohol retailers, from single liquor stores to big box chains, through coverage of the latest trends in wine, beer and spirits.
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/599364
Sparkling Wine www.beveragedynamics.com a blend of several vintages. Champagne makers are master blenders, working with dozens of very acidic "base wines" to get just the right result. Veuve Clicquot is the bestselling brand of Champagne in the U.S., with 405,000 cases sold in 2014, up 9.5 percent over the previous year, according to The Beverage Information & Insights Group. It's followed closely by sister brand Moët, with 370,000, up nearly 6 percent. At K&L Wine Merchants, a California retailer with stores in San Francisco, Redwood City and Hollywood, Champagne is king among sparkling wines. Gary Westby, K&L's Cham- pagne buyer, notes that the stores have fewer than 20 SKUs for Prosecco and Cava and about 20 for California sparkling wine, but more than 300 for Champagne. "We're really lucky to have a whole bunch of great customers who are willing to spend money on high-quality wines," Westby says. That said, he be- lieves that Champagne offers great value when you consider the marginal climate of the Champagne region and the rules that govern the wine's production. K&L gives its customers the opportunity to explore Champagne through a variety of tastings. One pro- gram is "Champagne Friday," held once a month at the San Francisco and Redwood City stores. The price is minimal, Westby says, just enough to cover costs. K&L also holds a fall tasting with more than 50 Champagnes. AMERICAN BUBBLY The Champenois helped spawn a revolution in California sparkling wine. Moët-Hennessy -- par- ent to Veuve Clicquot and Moët – started Domaine Chandon in 1973 in the Napa Valley. There had been some bubbly in California produced in the traditional methode champenoise, but the success of Chandon opened the fl oodgates. Foreign investment in the 1980s led to ventures like Roederer Estate, Mumm Napa Valley, Taittinger's Domaine Carneros and Gloria Ferrer (part of Spain's Freixenet empire). Korbel, founded in the 1880s, is currently the largest California producer of traditional-method sparkling wine, followed by Domaine Chandon (Korbel is No. 3 overall in volume among domestic producers). But some of the top-sell- ing brands are wines made with the charmat method. One that's phenomenally successful is Barefoot Bubbly, part of E&J Gallo, with sales that were up more than 22 percent from 2013 to 2014. Barefoot Bubbly actually started with sparkling versions of pinot grigio, white zinfandel and chardonnay, and added its Brut Cuvée in 2008. Since then, the brand has expanded with products like pink moscato and berry fusion and has become the No. 4 do- mestic sparkling brand. André, another Gallo product, is the bestselling domestic bubbly, at 2.8 million cases. Categories like Champagne and Prosecco have orga- nizations to represent and promote them, but domestic producers are on their own. Korbel runs promotions all year, says Margie Healy, the company's vice president of communications – Korbel for Brunch, for example. For the holidays, Korbel will have in-store displays as well as a cross-promotion with Stella Artois beer. A holiday TV ad campaign encouraging consumers to "Celebrate It All" will run from late October through February on networks ranging from Bravo to BET to Univision. Chandon's holiday sales program, "Bestie Wishes," includes a holiday-themed bottle of blanc de noirs for retail sales; a "wish knot" necker for bottles; and holiday displays like a 48-bottle tree rack, according to Chandon spokeswoman Korinne Munson. PROSECCO Prosecco is a sparkling juggernaut. Imports to the U.S. increased by nearly 34 percent this year vs. the previous year, to a total of more than 3.8 million cases, according to the Prosecco Consor- tium. Prosecco hails from northeastern Italy, traditionally in the hilly area around Valdobbiadene and Conegliano. But demand for it got so high that the production zone was expanded in the late 2000s to encompass nine provinces and a lot of fl at vineyard land. Although some Prosecco – which relies mostly on the glera grape -- is semi-sparkling (frizzante) or even still, the vast major- Prosecco and Cava and about 20 for California sparkling "We're really lucky to have a whole bunch of great customers who are willing to spend money on high-quality wines," Westby says. That said, he be- lieves that Champagne offers great value when you consider the marginal climate of the Champagne region and the rules that govern the wine's production. K&L gives its customers the opportunity to explore Champagne through a variety of tastings. One pro- gram is "Champagne Friday," held once a month at the San Francisco and Redwood City stores. The price is minimal, Westby says, just enough to cover costs. K&L also holds a fall tasting with more than The Champenois helped spawn a revolution in California sparkling wine. Moët-Hennessy -- par- ent to Veuve Clicquot and Moët – started Domaine Chandon in 1973 in the Napa Valley. There had been some bubbly in California produced in the traditional methode champenoise, but the success of 1980s led to ventures like Roederer Estate, Mumm Napa Valley, Taittinger's Domaine Carneros and Gloria Ferrer (part of Spain's Freixenet empire). Korbel, founded in the 1880s, is currently the largest California producer of traditional-method sparkling wine, followed by Domaine Chandon (Korbel is No. 3 overall in volume among domestic producers). But some of the top-sell- ing brands are wines made with the charmat method. One that's phenomenally successful is Barefoot Bubbly, part of E&J Gallo, with sales that were up more than 22 percent from 2013 to 2014. Barefoot Bubbly actually started with sparkling versions of pinot grigio, white zinfandel and chardonnay, and added its Brut Cuvée in 2008. Since then, the brand has expanded with products like pink moscato and berry fusion and has become the No. 4 do- mestic sparkling brand. André, another Gallo product, is the bestselling domestic bubbly, at 2.8 million cases. nizations to represent and promote them, but domestic producers are on their own. Korbel runs promotions all year, says Margie Healy, the company's vice president of communications – Korbel for Brunch, for example. For the holidays, Korbel will have in-store displays as well November/December 2015• Beverage Dynamics 55