Prosecco, Crémant Lead Growth Opportunities For Mionetto Owner Henkell Freixenet

Prosecco has already come a long way both in the U.S. and globally, but the Italian sparkling wine category has more room to run, according to Henkell Freixenet, owner of the Mionetto brand. Mionetto is the second-largest sparkling wine brand above $15 a bottle in the U.S., according to Impact Databank, with volume of approximately 1 million cases annually. Ongoing gains in Prosecco helped Germany-based Henkell Freixenet grow its overall sales 4% to €1.23 billion ($1.3b) last year, a record-high, with the U.S. accounting for 12% of revenue.

“Prosecco will remain a growth driver for sure,” Henkell Freixenet CEO Dr. Andreas Brokemper tells SND. “We see very nice developments on the Mionetto brand. We have another great opportunity with Freixenet Prosecco, which is growing nicely in the U.S. market. Prosecco growth may be less than it has been over the last 10 to 15 years, but it’s changing from a fragmented market into a more branded market.”

Prosecco isn’t the only arrow in the quiver for Henkell Freixenet subsidiary Mionetto USA, which also plays in the California sparkling, Spanish Cava, French Crémant, and still wine categories. In addition to Mionetto ($15), other key sparklers in the range include Freixenet Cordon Negro ($13), Gratien & Meyer Crémant ($20), and Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut ($25) and Carneros Cuvee ($90). Freixenet is the largest among those at 555,000 cases in the U.S., while Gloria Ferrer sparkling was at 80,000 cases last year. The portfolio also includes Champagne brand Alfred Gratien.

Growing the Gratien & Meyer Crémant de Loire label is an opportunity moving forward, Brokemper believes. “We’ve replanted the vineyards and looked out for having our own grape supply in order to build the brand,” he says. “And the U.S. and U.K. are markets where Crémant is picking up.” Adding a Franciacorta—the methode champenoise sparkling wine from northern Italy—is also a possibility, he adds. “If there is an opportunity we would see whether we could add another pearl to the chain.”

Meanwhile, Henkell Freixenet has been extending the Mionetto franchise into trending segments like non-alcoholic sparkling and aperitivo, aiming to expand the brand’s occasions. “We’re seeing these non-alcoholic alternatives attracting new consumers that we never expected before,” Brokemper notes.

Acknowledging the current volatility of global markets, including destocking challenges in the U.S., he sees “some nice trends coming into our favor,” across the portfolio. “We see the trend toward more everyday sparkling consumption instead of just celebration consumption. We’re quite optimistic that the growth we have seen in the last years will sustain for the future as well.”

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