Stateways

StateWays Jan/Feb 2016

StateWays is the only magazine exclusively covering the control state system within the beverage alcohol industry, with annual updates from liquor control commissions and alcohol control boards and yearly fiscal reporting from control jurisdictions

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StateWays ■ www.stateways.com ■ January/February 2016 32 SPANISH WINE BY MARNIE OLD The Reign of Spain EXCEPTIONAL VALUE AND A WEALTH OF NATIVE GRAPES. director for North America Ana Fabiano. "The most dra- matic gains have been in the Reserva category, which rep- resents 28% of year to date shipments – twice its 2010 market share. Rioja Rosado is also up 30% so far in 2015." While many other exporting countries that came on strong in the late 20th century have since fl attened or fallen from fashion, wines from Spain have remained on the cutting edge. "People haven't gotten bored with Spain because there's always something new to try, something unique that can't be found elsewhere." according to re- tailer TJ Douglas, owner of Boston's Urban Grape. RETHINKING SPANISH WINE "Spain is just as strong in high-quality table wines as it is in specialties like sparkling and fortifi ed wines," explains Will Willis, global brand ambassador for Ferrer Family Wines, part of the Freixenet Group. "The entire spectrum is avail- able, in every color and style, from climates that range from S pain fi rst earned the attention of American wine drinkers in the 80s and 90s on the strength of its bargain reds and bubbles. Today's wine drinkers are just as likely to be splurging on premium Albariños and Tempranillos as they are snapping up affordable Cavas and Garnachas, but Spain continues to excel at what matters most to consumers and retailers in every tier - price to quality ratio. "You can't beat Spain for value," says Dennis Kohl, the beverage consultant for Trig's Cellar 70, located within the stores of an upscale Wisconsin grocery group. "That was true when I fi rst joined the company 22 years ago and it's still true today." However, what he's selling has defi nitely changed from decades past. While early entries like Rioja, Ribera del Duero and Cava still lead the pack, their mo- mentum is shifting upscale and diversifying in style. National fi gures verify these trends. "Exports of Rioja to the U.S. have doubled since 2009," says Rioja's trade

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