News Briefs for May 1, 2024

•California’s Foley Family Wines has added High Ground vodka to its spirits range. The vodka is made at Foley’s Minden Mill Distilling in Nevada and carries a suggested price of $30 per bottle. The 40% abv spirit is currently available in Nevada and California. Production, from growing the grains to distillation and bottling, is handled at Minden Mill. This addition caps a busy month for Foley, with the company entering Tequila early in April with El Mexicano along with the mid-month addition of Loch Lomond Scotch whiskies to its import portfolio.

•Champagne Ayala, part of the Vintus portfolio, is launching A/18, the inaugural release of a new 100% Chardonnay wine series. Intended to highlight the best expression of Chardonnay with each harvest season, A/18 retails at $130 a bottle. A 2018 vintage Champagne, the first edition in the series is a blend of Chardonnays from Grands and Premiers Crus from the Côte des Blancs and the Montagne de Reims. It will be followed by new editions that will continue to highlight Champagne’s Chardonnay terroirs.

•Rite Aid has expanded its delivery partnership with Uber Eats to include alcohol in eight new markets. Nearly 1,000 Rite Aid stores across California, Idaho, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Virginia and Washington are now participating. The move follows Uber’s closing of its former Drizly subsidiary earlier this year, as it looks to expand its alcohol delivery activities through Uber Eats.

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