News Briefs for August 26, 2013
August 26, 2013•On-premise alcohol volumes were down 3.5% during the 4-week period ending August, according to GuestMetrics, putting the third quarter on track to be the weakest yet for the channel in 2013. Beer was down 4.6% in the period, while spirits were down 3%. Wine volumes slumped by 1.3%, in large part because of the recent weakness among fine dining restaurants. The company attributes the overall decrease in the channel to the recent decline in consumer traffic to full service restaurants and bars—traffic to casual restaurants has been rough all year, with the four-week period declining by 2.1%. Meanwhile, traffic to bars and nightclubs is down 4.4% so far in the third quarter, while fine dining is flat.
•V2 Wine Group’s Steelhead Vineyards has partnered with baseball Hall of Famer Joe Morgan to release W1ne for One, a new single-serve offering. Targeted toward sporting, music and other outdoor occasions, W1ne for One offers both a Sonoma County Chardonnay and Merlot packaged in a 187-ml. plastic bottle, with a detachable plastic flute affixed to the bottle’s screwcap. The range is currently available at Cincinnati’s Great American Ballpark, with additional venues to be added. Acquired by V2 in 2010, Sonoma County-based Steelhead Vineyards specializes in premium Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir sourced from the North Coast and priced at around $15 a bottle.
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