Wine Business Monthly’s Wine Industry Leaders of 2024

Wine Business Monthly’s 2024 Wine Industry Leaders list was just announced! It serves as a valuable guide to the visionaries shaping the current and future landscape of the wine industry. Recognizing those who drive innovation, sustainability, and economic resilience, this annual compilation includes leaders who stand out in their commitment to advancing the wine sector through strategic foresight and adaptability in the face of evolving market demands. The 2024 selection reflects a cross-section of influential figures, from pioneering winemakers and business executives to sustainability advocates and digital strategists, each making significant contributions to both the trade and broader cultural appreciation of wine.

By highlighting these individuals, Wine Business Monthly not only celebrates success but also inspires continuous growth and evolution across the industry.

Here is the full list: https://www.winebusiness.com/wbm/article/293943

Source: Wine Business Monthly

SNDL Expands “Wine and Beyond” into Saskatchewan

SNDL Inc. [Nasdaq: SNDL] announced last week that it has successfully obtained two liquor retail licenses in Regina and Saskatoon, through the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (“SLGA”) auction. The Company will leverage these licenses to expand its premium liquor banner, Wine and Beyond, into the final stage of the liquor retail transition to the private sector in Saskatchewan.

“We are excited to bring our Wine and Beyond banner into Saskatchewan, specifically in the key markets of Regina and Saskatoon,” said Tank Vander, President of Liquor Retail at SNDL. “Due to Saskatchewan’s low distribution of liquor licenses and high liquor sales per capita, SNDL expects stable and accretive growth in the two new stores. We are eager to introduce consumers to the Wine and Beyond brand, as we believe there is demand in the market for a premium liquor retail model.”

The Company’s 12 operating Wine and Beyond locations generated $135 million in revenue on an annualized basis for the three months ended September 30, 2022. This demonstrates the banner’s continued popularity and robust store performance, which SNDL anticipates will extend to the Saskatchewan market. Wine and Beyond’s initial launch in the two largest Saskatchewan cities will help SNDL to evaluate future expansion opportunities in the province.

 

Wine Brand Equity stabilizing after COVID, but yet to fully rebound

Building on feedback from over 25,000 wine consumers in 25 markets; representing over 400 million global wine drinkers, the fifth annual Wine Intelligence Global Wine Brand Power Index reveals a stabilization of wine brand equity, following the steep erosion of brand equity seen in 2021 amidst Covid disruptions. The 2022 data also suggests that global wine brand equity has yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels.

The Wine Intelligence Global Wine Brand Power Index 2022 incorporates consumer feedback on key brand health measures and an index is calculated at a global level as well as at a country level across 25 key wine markets. This year’s index saw Denmark featuring as a substitute for the Russian market, which was not surveyed.

At an aggregate level, the top 15 global brands collectively scored higher (6.5 points more) in 2022 compared with 2021. However, on a two-year view, scores remain substantially lower than in 2020, noting that the 2020 result was based on consumer surveys that took place in 2019 (before the Covid pandemic). Across the two-year period (2020-22) awareness levels tended to be more resilient; the main driver of change in the index during this period appears to come from the recalled purchase and connection scores, which both fell significantly for the top 15 global brands in 2021.

Yellow Tail and Casillero del Diablo claim the #1 and #2 spots (again) respectively in the 2022 Global Wine Brand Power Index, with their brand power index scores remaining well clear of all other wine brands. Both brands place as the #1 brand in three out of the 25 markets, with Yellow Tail also claiming a top ten ranking in 10 markets and Casillero del Diablo in 14 markets. Yellow Tail’s strength in the US market is cementing its #1 global ranking in the index. Barefoot now ranks as the 3rd most powerful wine brand globally, rising every year from its 13th position in 2019.

Other notable climbers within top 25 of the 2022 Wine Intelligence Global Wine Brand Power Index include Santa Carolina, which continues its rise to now rank #7; Apothic rising five places to #14 and Dark Horse – which has jumped eight places to #25.

Commenting on the rankings, Lulie Halstead, CEO of Wine Intelligensaid: “In a year characterized by relatively less upheaval for consumers, it’s a relief to see equity for wine brands has stabilized in terms of consumer connection as wine drinkers have returned to more frequent touchpoints with wine in both retail and the on-premise.”

She added: “Successful wine brand owners will be those with a focus on restoring the fundamental positive connections that have propelled their brands to such widespread success on the world stage in the first place, while doing their best to maintain availability and the value proposition amid input cost increases and supply chain disruptions.”

Source:  Wine Intelligence

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The Wine Business Institute Celebrates 25 Years on May 31st

The Wine Business Institute, of the School of Business and Economics, at Sonoma State University will be celebrating its 25th anniversary on Tuesday, May 31st, 2022, at the Wine Spectator Learning Center.

Twenty-five years ago, forward-thinking leaders envisioned a new kind of partnership between academia and the wine industry, and the resulting vision became the Wine Business Institute at Sonoma State University. Founded in 1996 as a brainchild of Gary Heck of Korbel Champagne Cellars and Sonoma State, “We wanted to create a program that would prepare the next generation to run our businesses, a viable succession plan for the wine industry. Great grapes and great wine were already the norm.  Professionalizing the business of wine was the next frontier to tackle“ explains Mr. Heck. “Over the past 25 years, our faculty has built the most comprehensive suite of wine business education in the world with the support of our wine industry, generous donors and board members,” noted Ray Johnson, WBI executive director. “Today our alumni occupy positions of leadership across the wine industry value chain, in organizations large and small.”

“The WBI is an exemplar of successful collaboration between industry and academia,” said Jean-Francois Coget, dean of the School of Business and Economics, within which hosts the WBI. “We will continue to provide diverse talent for the business side of the wine industry and conduct research and other activities that can help the industry address its keenest opportunities and challenges.”

Sonoma State’s School of Business and Economics is the first in the United States to offer an undergraduate degree (since 1998), an MBA (since 2008), an Executive MBA (since 2012) and a new Global EMBA (since 2020) focused on the business of wine. In addition to the degree programs, the WBI offers professional certifications in subjects such as Wine Business Data Analytics, Wine Business Management and Wine Entrepreneurship.  The institute regularly brings together wine industry leaders to discuss the opportunities and challenges in the current landscape and those on the horizon.

Looking back on the past 25 years, the WBI celebrates three major achievements: the awarding of 257 Wine MBAs, the launch of the Global Wine EMBA, and the opening of the Wine Spectator Learning Center.

 

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Italy’s online wine sales increased 310% H1

E-commerce in Italy is on the fast track. According to the latest Nomisma Wine Monitor Report (collaboration with Nielsen), online wine sales in Italy have increased by 310% in the first half of the year compared to the same period last year. The value grew by 350%.  Overall, this segment currently accounts for two percent of retail wine sales.

“The average price of wines bought online is 38% higher for still wines and 19% higher for sparkling wines than for wines bought on the shelf, a difference that results from the different composition of the two shopping carts – typologically as well as in terms of brand and packaging,” says Denis Pantini, head of Agribusiness and Wine Monitor at Nomisma.

 

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