News Briefs for May 4, 2012

•California wine brand Joseph Carr, marketed by W.J. Deutsch & Sons, has hired a new winemaker and revealed plans for a new super-premium red blend. Aaron Pott, known for his own Pott Wines brand from Napa, has been tapped to oversee winemaking at Joseph Carr, whose namesake negoçiant label focuses on Old World-style Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay at around $20 a bottle. Pott will lead efforts to create Joseph Carr’s upcoming limited-production red blend, which will sell at a premium to the core brand and be comprised of “a unique blend of varietals from some of California’s top growers,” according to Pott, whose career has included experience at Bordeaux Grand Cru Chateau La Tour Figeac as well as Beringer and Napa wineries Newton Vineyards and Quintessa Estate.

•BevMo is opening its newest California store in Paso Robles on May 18. The 8,000-square-foot unit will feature 1,800 wines, 1,560 spirits and 1,100 beers, as well as gourmet food, cocktail mixers, glassware and bar accessories. BevMo will be hosting in-store events at the new location from May 18-20, including tastings from local vineyards, breweries and major spirits brands like Jack Daniel’s and Sailor Jerry. The Paso Robles store brings BevMo to 116 stores throughout California and Arizona. The chain is also gearing up to enter Washington state with two locations—in Tacoma and Silverdale—set to open by midsummer.

•Lucky Dog Vodka is currently rolling out across New England, where it’s distributed by Horizon Beverage Group. The new product is a hand-crafted vodka, distilled in Rigby, Idaho from locally-grown winter wheat and marketed by Nantucket-based Lucky Dog Vodka, Inc. Retailing for $21.99 a 750-ml., Lucky Dog carries the tagline “Born on Nantucket and raised in the Rocky Mountains.” Horizon is one of New England’s leading spirits and wine distributors, with operations in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont.

Tagged : BevMo, retail, vodka, W.J. Deutsch & Sons

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