It was a relatively quiet week for industry news with the holidays still just freshly behind us, but did find more Amazon deals:
- Buy 3, Save 40% on Smoking Loon wines
- 1c Shipping on Select Orders
- Buy 3, Save 40% on Trinchero wines
We also have some insights from Sherry-Lehmann CEO Chris Adams from an interview with Shanken News Daily earlier in December.
Adams see Champagne as a growth area, saying he is “impressed by the strength of Champagne, which was the first category to signal the turnaround after the economic crisis in 2008 and 2009 … California, Burgundy and Italy are also strong.”
California, he says, recovering from some self-inflicted wounds: “In California the high end is doing well—not the high end that nobody can afford, but rather the wines at $50 or $60 to $100 a bottle. Those were lost a bit during the downturn and because of missteps in pricing.”
Italy, he states, “is doing well at both the high end and at affordable entry points. It offers a lot of options in terms of price points and is very well-positioned right now.”
Bordeaux hasn’t been so lucky, particularly on the higher end. “… Bordeaux has been more challenging, although I will say that petits chateaux and moderately priced cru classé are growing a little bit. First growths are still difficult, especially with some of the pricing we have just coming into the market with the release of the 2010s on the shelf.
Finally, Adams confirms what we’ve all seen to be true of late, that spirits are booming. “You’re seeing artisanal, often locally-made products garner more and more appeal, which is really a logical extension of the farm-to-table trend. And of course Bourbon is exploding. There isn’t nearly enough of some of the artisanal offerings to satisfy the market, and I think that growth will continue.”