Wines of USA Archives

Stags’ Leap partners with Cirque du Soleil

Stags’ Leap Winery, one of the oldest and most storied wineries in Napa Valley, and Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group, a world leader in artistic entertainment, announced last week an exclusive partnership that will see Stags’ Leap Winery featured at Cirque du Soleil’s United States Big Top Shows for one year beginning next month. The Official Wine of Cirque du Soleil Touring Shows in the United States, Stags’ Leap Winery brings more than 130 years of winemaking tradition to the circus stage.

“Stags’ Leap Winery is named after a mythical stag who eluded capture by leaping into the Palisades mountains located behind our storied winery in the Stags’ Leap District of Napa Valley,” says Brand Director Megan O’Connor. “Our stag is a symbol of courage and freedom, emboldening everyone to explore all that life has to offer in the pursuit of pleasure. I cannot think of a more perfect partner than Cirque du Soleil, whose performances have transformed live entertainment by encouraging all of us to dream the unimaginable.”

In addition to concessions serving Stags’ Leap Napa Valley Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, there will be a Stags’ Leap Winery lounge, in select cities. As part of the partnership, audience members can also expect to see Stags’ Leap Winery on multimedia branding throughout each venue, as well as in collaborative social content promoted across both brands’ social media channels.

“We are excited to welcome Stags’ Leap Winery as a partner with Cirque du Soleil Touring Shows and look forward to our United States Big Top fans experiencing the premium wine offerings on-site,” says Lauren Hart, Head of Partnership Strategy at Cirque du Soleil.

For the official list of show dates and locations, please visit cirquedusoleil.com

To learn more about Stag’s Leap: stagsleap.com

Source: Stags’ Leap Winery

North America’s Six Top Wine Regions for a Cycling Getaway

For wine lovers who love the outdoors, combining the enjoyment of wine tasting with leisurely cycling through some of North America’s most picturesque vineyard regions offers a unique and wonderful experience.

Wine regions like Napa Valley, the Finger Lakes, and Niagara are not only renowned for their exquisite wines, but they also feature some of the most bicycle-friendly routes and amenities.

Here is a guide that takes you through these areas, promising lots of adventure, indulgence, and an appreciation of these wonderful wine regions: https://shorturl.at/zL08Z

Source: Momentum Magazine

PGWA Creates Custom AVA Wine Maps Using Google Maps

The Petaluma Gap Wine Growers Alliance (PGWA) has been working with an illustrator to develop a more intricate digital and printable AVA map. While this project in progress, the Alliance wanted something temporary on the website and quickly created a custom and free AVA map using Google My Maps.

Here are the steps to follow in creating a map of a particular AVA:

Step 1 – Create A New Map – Access the Google My Maps website and sign in with your Google account. You’ll need to create an account if you don’t have one yet. Once logged in, click the “+ Create a new map” button to initiate the map-building process.

Step 2 – Personalize Your Map – At the top left corner of the page, locate the “Untitled map” field. You can enter your organization’s name.

Step 3- Define Your Boundary – Download an SHP (shape) of your AVA boundary as defined by the federal government from the TTB website. Since Google Maps only supports KML files, you must convert the SHP using geographical information software (GIS). For instance, we used the open-source GIS application QGIS for this purpose. Import the converted KML file into Google Maps as your initial layer.

Step 4 – Map Wineries – Create an additional layer for wineries. Utilize the search function to locate wineries by name or address. Click the “Add to map” option in the toolbar. If a winery has claimed its business on Google, relevant information will appear in the drop-down menu. Choose or customize the marker icon, such as a wine glass or grape icon.

Step 5 – Plot the Vineyards – PGWA has employed latitude and longitude coordinates to locate vineyards. Since only a few vineyards were registered as businesses on Google, they manually inputted information, including vineyard photos, a list of cultivated grape varieties, and elevations. Non-grower members were identified on the map with less detailed information.

Step 6- Organize Your Layers – You can enhance your map by creating multiple layers. This helps in segregating distinct categories of data. Click the “Add layer” button in the left sidebar to establish a new layer. In our case, separate layers were used for wineries, vineyards, and members and non-members.

Step 7 – Share Your Map – The map can be shared using a unique link, making it accessible to specific individuals or made public or private. Most importantly, you can embed code to easily incorporate the map into your website or blog.

This serves as a valuable tool for wine organizations and wine professionals in showcasing vineyards and tasting rooms within the geographical boundaries.

Source: Wine Data Researcher

Old World Wines Gaining Share Across US On-Premise

CGA by NIQ’s latest On-Premise Measurement Research explores the share of total wine, with a focus on domestic white and red wine categories across the US, to highlight the opportunities for suppliers as old-world wines continue to gain share.

Using insights from the latest 52-week period of CGA’s OPM data to 12/31/2022, it is apparent that domestic wines account for the largest share of total wine across the US On-Premise (66.4%), but opportunities emerging for suppliers and operators to capture changing consumer preferences as they explore and consume old-world origin varietals.

At a total US level, domestic wines still hold the largest share of the market, however, old-world wines have continued to gain share. While domestic share has largely been maintained (-0.8pp), recent share changes demonstrate that US consumers are increasingly opting for old-world wines, specifically of regions including Italy (+0.5pp), New Zealand (+0.3pp) and France (+0.2pp).

Within red, domestic wine continues to hold a significant proportion (72.8%) of the share of red wine, up 0.8pp vs YA – continuing to increase its importance in comparison to all other major origins. Within the category, international origin wines tracked are losing share, including Italy (-0.1pp), Argentina (-0.4pp) and Spain (-0.1pp).

Whereas, white domestic wine has lost share (-1.6pp) and holds 61% of total share of white wine. Consumers are increasing looking to old world regions for white varietals in the US On-Premise. Most notably, from Italy (+0.9pp) has seen the largest increase in share gain, followed by New Zealand (+0.5pp) and France (+0.3pp).

Andrew Hummel, Client Solutions Director for North America, states: “Category and varietal insights are so important to help shape effective strategies for the On-Premise. Consumer preferences are changing, and being armed with the knowledge and insight to adapt offerings will enable success in 2023. While domestic wines still hold the largest share of the market across the US, increasing competition and innovation is gaining traction with consumers. OPM data tracking over time gives a comprehensive view of how the channel is evolving and helps identify opportunities for growth.”

Here is the research link: https://cgastrategy.com/unlock-the-potential-of-opm/

US [on-premise] Wine Sales Total $14.8 Billion

Wine sales in the US on-premise sector totaled $14.8 billion in the 52 weeks ended October 8, 2022 according to CGA Strategy by NielsenIQ.

Latest data from the market research firm CGA Strategy reflects a 22% increase over the same period in 2021, but growth is slowing as the on-premise market recovery continues.

Sparkling wine continues to stand out with sales up 34% in the recent period to $2.6 billion. Total domestic wine sales came to $9.2 billion, up 20%, while imports totaled $5.5 billion. Sales of white wine came to $7.2 billion followed by red at $6.5 billion. Happy to say that rosé sales grew 27% to $904 million.

The growth comes in a competitive market marked by fewer outlets and fewer choices for drinkers. CGA reports the number of fine dining outlets has decreased 4.1% between October 2021 to October 2022, while consumer surveys found 21 % of diners report they have noticed fewer menu items and 40 % of those say there are fewer wine options.

In a webinar last week, Andrew Hummel, CGA client Solutions Director for North America, said surveys of on-premise consumers consistently find 50% report they drink something different at restaurants and bars than what they enjoy at home. “It’s really important to understand the on-premise consumer and segment them differently from the off-premise consumer,” he further states.

In terms of the different types of on-premise wine consumers, 37% of those surveyed by CGA who are wine drinkers fall into the company’s “curious and on a budget” category which represents about 30% of all consumers. These restaurant and bar patrons are “moderately engaged,” typically visiting in the early evening and enjoying trying new drinks yet are price sensitive and attracted to values.

To help wine producers navigate a changing market, CGA developed a new report that offers a “360-degree view” of wine in the on-premise sector. This new report blends market data with consumer surveys and “user” data as well as a channel strategy analysis into what the firm describes as its most comprehensive analysis of the on-premise market for wine. “Whether teams are considering a new brand launch in the market or managing a portfolio of legacy wines, the report will provide a robust set of insights across relevant topics to help drinks suppliers win in the on-premise,” states Matthew Compton, CGA’s regional director of North America.

Sources:
NielsenIQ
Wines Vines Analytics

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