News Briefs for December 12, 2014

•Beverage alcohol delivery provider Drizly has partnered with retailer Randall’s Wine and Spirits to enter the St. Louis market. Starting this week, consumers throughout the greater St. Louis area will be able to shop the Randall’s Wine and Spirits inventory online or via the Drizly app, and receive delivery within a 20- to 40-minute period. St. Louis marks Drizly’s 10th major metropolitan market launch, joining Austin, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, New York City, Seattle and Washington, D.C.

•Laurent-Perrier US has promoted executive vice president Michelle DeFeo to the role of president. DeFeo joined Laurent-Perrier in 1998 as regional manager, then left the Champagne house in 2002, before rejoining as executive vice president in 2011. In addition to Laurent-Perrier, her drinks industry experience includes stints with The Henry Wine Group, Reactor Beverage Group and Rémy-Cointreau USA, among other companies. Concurrent with DeFeo’s appointment, Laurent-Perrier US has announced plans to relocate its headquarters, moving from San Francisco—where the group has been based for 16 years—to Long Island City, New York. Laurent-Perrier US is the U.S. subsidiary of France’s Champagne Laurent-Perrier.

•Jean Philippe Moulin, a longtime Champagne-maker who has been involved with such well-known labels as Ruinart, Mumm and Perrier-Jouët, has developed a new bubbly brand under his own name—with the help of €500,000 ($625,000) in crowdfunding raised from consumers on the NakedWines.com platform. The Jean Philippe Moulin range is currently available exclusively to NakedWines’ “Angel investors”—customers who pay $40 a month to the privately-funded online wine company to invest directly in winemakers. These investors—of which there are currently more than 200,000, according to Naked Wines—will be able to purchase the wines at discounted rates for the next six months. The line includes a Blanc de Blancs ($49.99 for Naked Wines investors); a non-vintage Brut ($29.99); a Rosé ($49.99) and a vintage Champagne ($39.99). After six months, these offerings will be made available to the general public, at full-list prices.

•South Carolina-based Charlestowne Premium Spirits is launching a new high-proof RTD brand, Real Cocktails, this month. Initially, Real Cocktails will be distributed in New York, New Jersey and Illinois. Including Real Cosmo and Real Margarita offerings, the cocktail line is 50 proof and retails at $20 a 750-ml. Charlestowne says it sees an opportunity to “shake up the current selection of watered-down, low-proof RTDs.” The line is aimed at the Millennial demographic, with its launch being backed with social media activities.

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Tagged : Champagne Laurent-Perrier, Charlestowne Premium Spirits, Drizly, Jean Philippe Moulin, Laurent-Perrier US, Mumm, NakedWines.com, Perrier-Jouët, Randall's Wine and Spirits, Reactor Beverage Group, Real Cocktails, Rémy Cointreau USA, Ruinart, The Henry Wine Group

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