•Vineyard Brands is adding New Zealand wine Rippon to its portfolio. Based in Central Otago, Rippon is a biodynamic farm and vineyard situated on the shores of Lake Wānaka. It has 15 hectares (37 acres) under vine, planted to Pinot Noir, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, and Osteiner. Rippon, whose offerings retail in the super-premium and above tiers, joins Mohua and Peregrine Wines in Vineyard Brands’ New Zealand stable.

•Rémy Cointreau-imported Champagne Telmont has unveiled a new, lighter Champagne bottle design, one that brings down carbon emissions by 4% per bottle. The new bottle comes in at 800 grams and was developed in partnership with French glassmaker Verallia. For the first release of the new bottles, Telmont is putting out 3,000 bottles of its Reserve Brut 2022. For the 2023 vintage, 30,000 lightweight bottles of Reserve Brut will be released, with that number ramping up to 220,000 for the 2024 vintage. Beginning with the 2025 vintage, all of Telmont’s releases will use the 800g bottle. In addition, the Champagne house has made the new bottle design available to other producers of Champagne and sparkling wine. Last year, Champagne Telmont was up 22% to 5,667 cases in the U.S., according to Impact Databank.

•Sagamore Spirit, part of the Disaronno International USA portfolio, has announced a new batch of cask strength rye whiskey. The 7-year-old whiskey is bottled at 61.5% abv and made by blending two ryes, one made with a higher proportion of rye in the mashbill. The whiskey will roll out in May to bars and retailers across the U.S., in addition to availability at Sagamore’s distillery. Sagamore Spirit Cask Strength Rye carries a suggested price of $70 a bottle.

•Agave Boom Margaritas, a new line of wine-based RTD cocktails, have launched in the U.S. The brand is launching with eight flavors—Cucumber-Jalapeño, Lime, Mango-Chamoy, Passion Fruit, Piña-Coco, Watermelon, White Peach, and Strawberry—all at 13.9% abv and made from Agave wine. Agave Boom Margaritas are produced at Casa Maestri distillery and imported by Platinum Brands LLC. Each flavor is available in a 200-ml. plastic bottle that’s shaped like an agave piña.