Starbucks Coffee Co., Seattle, announced plans to bring wine, beer and premium food offerings to a select number of locations in Atlanta and southern California by the end of this year.
Niche Import Co. launched its Affentaler Dry Riesling in a vibrant blue glass bottle, topped with a blue closure. The glass features the brand’s signature monkey embossed into the front, “hugging” the bottle.
Yao Ming, retired NBA player, owner of the Shanghai Sharks and humanitarian, established his own Napa Valley wine company: Yao Family Wines. The company released its inaugural wine, a 2009 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, under the Yao Ming brand name in mainland China. Yao Family Wines has appointed Pernod Ricard China as the sole and exclusive importer and distributor of the brand in mainland China.
DFV Wines is re-launching its traditionally packaged Delicato brand into a new modern package called Domino. The change marks a shift toward innovation at DFV Wines and reflects the company’s steady growth, it says.
Save Me, San Francisco Wine Co., a collaboration between Underdog Wine & Spirits and Grammy Award-winning band Train, launched Calling All Angels Chardonnay.
With the wine and spirits industries continuing to showcase positive numbers, those in the industry maintain a positive outlook for the categories. The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), Washington, D.C., released its 2010 Industry Review report in January that stated that spirits revenue was up 2.3 percent to $19.1 billion. The super-premium spirits category grew 10.9 percent in 2010 compared to a soft 2009, it says. The council also states that spirits gained just less than half a percent rising to 33.3 percent of the beverage alcohol market.