11 Category Trends
WHAT TREND IS MOST IMPACTING YOUR BUSINESS ?
40 % 35 % 30 % 25 % 20 % 15 % 10 % 5 % 0 %
36 %
Overall Wine
26 %
Bourbon / Canned American Wine Whiskey
14 % 13 % 13 % 10 %
RTDs |
Craft Beer |
Rosé |
|
|
Wine |
7 % 7 %
Spiked Seltzer
WHAT DO YOU WISH YOU COULD EXPAND SHELF SPACE FOR ?
35 % 30 % 25 % 20 % 15 % 10 % 5 % 0 %
31 %
Bourbon / American Whiskey
23 %
Overall Wine
10 %
Craft Beer
9 %
Canned Wine
6 %
Rosé Wine
Source : The Beverage Dynamics 2019 State of the Industry Survey .
8 %
RTDs
5 % 4 % 4 %
Tequila Vodka Premiumization
Supermarket Competition
5 %
Tequila / Mezcal
4 %
Brandy / Cognac
3 % 3 %
Vodka
Cannabis / CBD Products
Note : Retailers could provide multiple answers , so numbers in each chart reflect the percentage of retailers who gave that answer .
distilleries . The Sazerac Company , as well , is amidst a $ 1.2-billion infrastructure investment in Buffalo Trace . So it ’ s no surprise that bourbon and American whiskey were among the most dominant answers in our 2019 State of the Industry Survey .
The straight American whiskey category grew 5.3 % in 2018 , according to the Beverage Information and Insights Group , reaching 23.29 million 9-liter cases in the U . S . We see no reason for brown spirits to ebb anytime soon . They are in a new Golden Era .
“ I ’ m really excited about where we ’ re at and where we ’ re going ,” says Sean Yelle , category director for brown / dark spirits at Campari Group , which owns Wild Turkey . “ There ’ s an alignment with consumer demand and what we want to put out there . The industry and consumers are lining up in a way that will lead to better drinks while making the whiskey industry a great place to be right now .”
3 ) ROSÉ ALL DAY ( AND NIGHT ) AND YEAR Much like brown spirits , rosé wine is enjoying historically strong sales . In the past 12 months , the rosé category has grown about 48 % in the U . S ., according to Moore from SGWS , while wine overall is up only 3 %.
The category has transcended its Provence roots to become a style commonly made
Rosé continues to expand as a food-pairing option .
worldwide . Consumers have never had more rosé options . But is that a good thing ?
“ Everybody who grows grapes and wants to make wine now makes a rosé ,” states Michael Skurnik , founder of Skurnik Wines , during a panel at Vinexpo NYC 2019 . “ It ’ s a cash cow because you can make it in three weeks . That ’ s resulted in an overcrowded category , which has created a lack of clarity for consumers . What are the good rosés ? What are the ones of real authenticity ?”
Skurnik suggests that the category could benefit from pruning , and foresees the free market doing just that . “ In the next five years it ’ s going to weed out a lot of rosés ."
His fellow panelists did not necessarily agree . “ With the expansion of rosé ’ s geographies , styles and pricing points , I think it has a lot of runway still in front of it ,” says Helen Mackey , VP of enterprise beverage strategy & innovation for Darden Restaurants .
Concurring with her is Patrick Mata , co-founder and CEO of Olé & Obrigado . “ Millennials love rosé because it ’ s not complicated and it ’ s fun and is accessible with quality . Millennials love to discover , and that ’ s why I think rosé will grow with different varietals .”
Rosé continues to expand as a food-pairing option , as vineyards “ develop gastronomical regional roses that pair well with a sophisticated cuisine ,” says Miren de Lorgeril , president of Languedoc Wines , which promotes the Languedoc wine region , producer of 34 % of all French rosés and 11 % of the world ’ s production . Also beneficial for the future of the category , she adds , would be “ cultivating rosés with complex winemaking and careful production techniques to ob-
PHOTO BY FABIEN LAINÉ
26 Beverage Dynamics • July / August 2019 www . beveragedynamics . com