Prestige Wine Imports Sees Italy Outperforming In U.S. Market

Prestige Wine Imports, the New York-based subsidiary of Italy’s Gruppo Mezzacorona, is a key player in the U.S. market’s Italian wine category, with volume of over 1 million cases annually. The portfolio is led by the namesake Mezzacorona brand from the Italian Alps, which depleted 950,000 cases last year to rank among the leaders in Italian wine in the U.S., as well as Stemmari from Sicily, which depleted 100,000 cases.

Andrew Meyer, a veteran of Don & Sons, Delicato, Deutsch, and Constellation who was named chief sales officer at Prestige late last year, tells SND that Mezzacorona is currently outpacing the wine market. “Pinot Grigio as a category, and Mezzacorona Pinot Grigio specifically, is outperforming broader trends in the total wine category,” he notes, adding that Mezzacorona Dinotte, made from noble varietals in the Dolomites, and the low-alcohol Mezzacorona Ventessa ($12) are driving double-digit growth. Mezzacorona, whose core offerings retail around $10, is slated to receive a new U.S. campaign in the second quarter of next year.

Stemmari, the largest Sicilian wine label in the U.S., retails at around $13 a bottle and is led by indigenous Sicilian varietals Nero d’Avola and Grillo. “Stemmari is capitalizing on growing consumer interest and acceptance of wines from Sicily, in addition to new packaging that was introduced earlier this year,” says Meyer. “Stemmari is showing great success in the on-premise in both the traditional wine bottle format as well as within the keg category.”

In the sparkling segment Prestige has been drawing growth from the Val d’Oca brand, which recently earned Impact “Hot Prospect” honors after jumping 35% to 56,000 cases last year. “In particular, the on-premise and transportation channels have really responded to the high quality and value proposition that Val d’Oca offers in the growing Prosecco segment,” Meyer says.

Elsewhere in the range, the Trentino DOC-appellated Domenica label ($15) recently received a packaging update, and Meyer says Tuscany’s Castello di Querceto is performing strongly, led by two Chianti Classico DOCG Gran Selezione bottlings, Le Corte ($70) and Il Picchio ($68), along with its Chianti Classico DOCG and Classico Riserva DOCG. Le Corte 2020 and Il Picchio 2020 recently received scores of 93 and 90 points respectively from Wine Spectator. Also, “Tenuta Rocca, a new partner to PWI last year, has seen early success with their critically acclaimed portfolio led by Barolo DOCG, Langhe DOC Nebbiolo, and Barbera d’ Alba DOC,” he adds. Tenuta Rocca’s Barolo Bussia 2019 ($63) and Barbera d’Alba Superiore Ròca Neira 2021 ($43) each earned scores of 92 points from Wine Spectator earlier this year.

While acknowledging industry headwinds, Meyer believes the Prestige portfolio is well-positioned, and has expansion opportunity through both innovation and agency brands. “The wine category continues to be under pressure as the consumer is challenged economically and is presented with an increasing number of beverage options across the alcoholic and non-alcoholic segments,” he notes. Still, Meyer says Prestige is outperforming, and remains bullish particularly on the flagship Mezzacorona label, “driven by Mezzacorona Pinot Grigio, where the consumer has strong interest in approachable, aromatic white wines of exceptional value.”—Daniel Marsteller

Tagged : Castello di Querceto, Domenica, MezzaCorona, Prestige Wine Imports

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