News Briefs for March 5, 2018
March 5, 2018•The Winebow Group has added three new wine producers to its Craft + Estate portfolio. The newcomers include Greece’s Gai’a and Papagiannakos, and Macedonia’s Ktima Pavlidis. Gai’a Estate is known for Agiorgitiko reds from Nemea and Assyrtikos from Santorini, as well as a premium Retsina made from Roditis grapes. Papagiannakos specializes in indigenous white grape Savatiano and also produces Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malagousia, and Agiorgitiko. Ktima Pavlidis, meanwhile, farms a 160-acre estate vineyard that includes Assyrtiko, Agiorgitiko, Tempranillo, and Chardonnay.
•Delicato Family Vineyards is extending its Z. Alexander Brown brand with a new Uncaged Sauvignon Blanc retailing at $20 a 750-ml. The new entry is sourced from Napa Valley, warmer Lake County Vineyards in the North Coast, and cool southern Suisun Valley vineyards just south of Napa County. Z. Alexander Brown also includes an Uncaged Red Blend, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinot Noir, as well as the recently released Uncaged Chardonnay.
•Four Provence rosé producers have banded together to form a new importer, Provence Rosé Group (PRG), intended to leverage the collective clout in the U.S. market. PRG is a fully owned subsidiary of four Provençal estates: Château de Berne, Ultimate Provence, Château des Bertrands, and Château Saint Roux. Both Château de Berne and Ultimate Provence have extensive distribution in the U.S., with de Berne carried by Republic National Distributing Co., Fedway, Martignetti, CDI, and M.S. Walker in a total of 30 states, and Ultimate Provence handled by Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits in more than 40 states. Initial objectives for PRG—which has its headquarters in White Plains, New York—include plans to strengthen its presence on the West Coast going forward.
•Stoli Group USA has unveiled a new campaign based on its partnership with the new film Red Sparrow, starring Jennifer Lawrence. In conjunction with the film partnership, Stoli is launching a “Vodka MasteRED” push running across print, digital, radio, and social media channels. Russell Pareti, Stoli Group USA’s vice president of marketing, said the campaign furthers Stoli’s effort to align itself with “empowering female leads” that match the independent character of its brand.
•MGP Ingredients saw net sales for its distillery products segment rise nearly 10% to $291 million for 2017, as gross profit rose 18% to $66.8 million. Gains were propelled by an 18.4% sales surge in premium beverage alcohol products. Looking forward, MGP estimates that operating income will grow by 10%-15% in 2018, with a jump to 15%-20% for 2019 as more of the company’s whiskey stocks come of age. MGP’s total net sales increased 9.2% to $347.4 million last year. In addition to its contract distilling business, MGP also markets its own spirits brands, including George Remus Bourbon and Till American Wheat Vodka.
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