by MELISSA DOWLING

Trinchero won four Wine Growth Brands in 2026, for Seaglass, Fre, Avissi and Echo Bay, as well as a Rising Star award for its Atomic Boss readyto-drink beverage. Brie Wohld, the company’ s vice president of marketing, notes that consumers today seek wines that fit into a wider range of moments— lighter styles, lower-alcohol options, alcohol-free alternatives— without sacrificing quality or experience.

“ We’ ve made significant strides in expanding our portfolio to meet evolving consumer needs, particularly with our alcohol-removed wines,” she says, which include Fre, Luminara, and Seaglass alcohol-removed. With a 43 % dollar share, Fre remains the clear category leader and benchmark for quality non-alcoholic wine, Wohld adds.

Trinchero launched Fre in 1992— long before the modern sober-curious movement.“ Fre’ s established credibility, broad availability, and proven taste profile have allowed it to capture incremental consumers while retaining loyal buyers,” Wohld notes.

Unveiling Seaglass alcohol-removed wine in 2024 allowed the brand“ to participate in the fast-growing moderation space while staying true to our core of coastal refreshment and quality,” Wohld says. Trinchero plans to accelerate momentum“ by continuing to expand distribution, deepen our presence in key markets and invest in innovation across full-strength, light, and alcohol-removed wines.”

Avissi benefitted from continued interest in prosecco combined with focused distribution expansion, while demand for crisp, aromatic whites helped grow the Echo Bay New Zealand sauvignon blanc brand.

Trinchero Family Wine and Spirits acquired Mumm Napa from Pernod Ricard earlier this year.

A TRUE FAMILY AFFAIR The story began when Italian immigrant Mario Trinchero, who had becomes a successful bartender at the Waldorf Astoria, moved his family from New York to Napa Valley in 1947. He joined his brother John in purchasing the Sutter Home winery, then one of just 15 wineries in Napa.

The entire Trinchero family— Mario, his wife Mary and their children Bob, Vera and Roger— worked together to build the business. The company began acquiring other wineries in the 1980s.

Core wine brands today include Joel Gott, Menage a Tois and Bieler Père et Fils, among others. It acquired Mumm Napa from Pernod Ricard earlier this year.

A company claim to fame is the accidental creation of white zinfandel in 1975 by Bob Trinchero. A stuck fermentation in a batch of Sutter Home Family Vineyards white zinfandel left residual sugar and created the sweet, modern style that became the best-selling wine of its time. By the late 1990s, Sutter Home became the number-one table wine brand in the U. S., producing over 5 million cases of white zinfandel annually.

Now one of the largest family-owned wineries in the U. S., Trinchero Family Wine and Spirits boasts more than 50 award-winning wine and spirits brands, distributed globally. Congratulations to our Wine supplier of the year: Trinchero Family Wine & Spirits— here’ s to the next 80 years! •

Mario and Mary Trinchero began building the business nearly 80 years ago.