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: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/599364
Super-Premium Wine 48 Beverage Dynamics • November/December 2015 www.beveragedynamics.com fect spot to deliver true quality at a comfortable price, so that's where we priced our more affordable Complicated range." However, the costs of doing business in wine country in 2015 led them to look outside California to produce their fi rst wines under $15 - their new tier called Available sports an Italian Sangiovese and Pinot Grigio. MILLENNIAL BOOM OR BUST For all the Millennial hype, the increased bottle rings are mainly coming from Baby Boomers and, increasingly, from Generation X. "Consumer demographics in the $15-$20 price range have not shifted drastically," says Chris Indelicato, president and CEO of Delicato Family Vine- yards. "Household income remains a primary factor, with the majority of super premium consumers earning an average household income over $100K." Rob McMillan, founder of Silicon Valley Bank's wine division, summed it up this way in his infl uential 'State of the Wine Industry Report 2015': "One day, Millennials will be at the center of fi ne wine sales. But the reality is — no matter what a generation is called, the most active buyers of fi ne wine and luxury goods will continue to be in the 35- to 55-year age group. Today, the largest consuming cohort is the Boomers, and the cohort with the greatest immediate growth opportunity is Gen X. That's where wealth is centered, and that's where income supports purchasing at higher prices." BD Author and sommelier MARNIE OLD is one of the country's leading wine experts. Formerly the director of wine studies for Manhattan's esteemed French Culinary Institute, she is best known for her visually engaging books published by DK – the award-winning Wine: A Tasting Course and He Said Beer, She Said Wine. fashion for inspiration – clothing is a lifestyle product as diversified as wine, if not more so. There will always be a place for discount warehouses, but the designers who can charge frontline prices are those who are creating beautiful dreams and welcoming their customers to join in. Wine is more than a number – it is art! Wine is a sophisticated form of liquid travel and a feast for the senses." Jean Charles certainly walks the walk, partnering with other luxury lifestyle brands like Goyard handbags, designing his own line of jewelry and most recently opening an opulent JCB Tasting Lounge at San Francisco's Ritz-Carlton hotel. Boisset has recently turned his eye to the retail experience himself, developing a luxury 'Shop in Shop' inspired by the prestige designer boutiques found within depar tment stores. Like everything Jean Charles creates, it is definitely a beautiful dream - sexy, over-the-top and very 'ooh-la-la.' BC Jean Charles Boisset has already shaken up the hidebound wine business with his bold ideas, unbridled passion and inimitable style. Whether a surprise performance by John Legend at the Napa Valley Wine Auction, or dressing up the tank room at Raymond Vineyards with Baccarat crystal chandeliers and showgirl manne- quins on trapezes à la Moulin Rouge, every- thing he does connects his wines and his customers through emotion and sensation – not discounts or point scores. "We aim for both our French and Ameri- can wines to be trendless, to serve as a work- shop of romance and an atelier of pleasure," he says. Asked how he would advise retailers looking to trade up, he shares an untraditional view. "If we have trained our customers to shop by price, putting our wines in boxes with a number like prisoners, tight margins and a race to the bottom are the natural result – there is no magic!" Boisset says. "Look to the world of "Wine is more than a number – it is art!" — Jean Charles Boisset ENVISIONING A DIFFERENT FUTURE FOR RETAIL