We’re Sweet on Sweet Wines
Written by Traveling Vineyard on September 26, 2014
By Denise Kotopoulos
As you know we’re all about sweet and fizzy wines here at Traveling Vineyard. You might say that’s our “sweet spot”. There’s the Fissata Red, New York, the 2010 Tanglerose, Sweet American Rosé … not to mention those whites that lean toward sweet – the 2013 Beeline, Malvasia Bianca, Paso Robles, California and the 2014 Smirk, Moscatel, Western Cape, South Africa. We’re sweet wine lovers and we make no apologies for that.
Some wine drinkers turn up their collective noses to sweet wines. Obviously, they’ve never tried the 2010 Tanglerose, Sweet American Rosé and Fresh Fruit with Fromage Blanc and Spiced Honey. And, they definitely haven’t experienced the fizzy Fissata Red, New York with Ricotta & Pear Cake.
Wine is Personal.
Don’t let anyone tell you that sweet wines aren’t sophisticated. We live by the mantra spoken so eloquently by one of our own Wine Guides.
“The best wine for you, is the wine you like.”
– Mary Christensen, 2014 Harvest Speaker.
Drink what you love. Love what you drink. That’s how we roll. We’re sweet on sweet wines and we have crowds of followers (about 11,000 and growing) who agree. They know that sweet wines can be just as elegant and polished as a Left Bank Bordeaux from a prestigious chateaux.
If you still need more convincing …. take a peek at the numbers. Here are the latest stats on who’s been drinking what across the country over the last two years - straight from the trade press.
Numbers Don’t Lie.
The Beverage Information Group recently published, “Sweet Wines Pick Up Some Steam” in which they say, “While still small at a 6% share, Moscato nearly doubled its share in 2013, and surpassed Shiraz and Malbec. And while some look down on white zinfandel, the sweet pink wine increased its share very slightly to 4.2% in 2013.”
Let’s understand the hard data on what’s happening in the category.
1. Moscato market share increased by more than 50% in just one year.
2. White Zinfandel saw a jump in market share of more than 10% year over year.
3. Chardonnay and Merlot, of course, dominate, but according to industry statistics, sweet wines represent a growing share of the market.
How does the Traveling Vineyard stack up?
Our exclusive wines have been crafted to reflect current trends and be relevant for wine enthusiast everywhere. We assure you that our Wine Director and Wine Guides have a finger on the pulse of the market. Given the growth of Moscato and White Zinfandel, our sweet wines are keeping pace.
Moscato
The 2014 Smirk, Moscatel, Western Cape, South Africa is made from the Moscatel grape, which comes from the Muscat family of grapes, as does the popular Moscato. Our very first fizzy sweet wine, Fissata Blonde, Moscato d’Asti was a huge hit with guests a few years ago. It literally put us on the fizzy-sweet wine map. The Smirk Moscatel is an encore of this success with a new twist!
We designed our Fissata Red, New York to mimic the taste profile of the Fissata Blonde, Moscato d’Asti, a frizzante or lightly sparkling wine. With slightly less effervescence, the Fissata Red is made from All American grapes grown in New York’s Finger Lakes region and blended to provide the same enjoyment as our previous Italian semi-sparkling white – only pink.
The 2013 Beeline, Malvasia Bianca, Paso Robles, California derives from Malvasia Bianca, one of the varietals that comprised our original Fissata Red. Again, we deconstruct what works with our guests and use the components of wines that have been successful with our audience to create new and interesting ways to enjoy them.
White Zinfandel
We’re frequently asked why we don’t carry white zinfandel. To stay true to our wine education goals, we like to keep it fresh with “off the beaten path” wine varietals. That’s why, with our 2010 Tanglerose, Sweet American Rosé, we went really off the path. This combination of hybrid varietals local to the Finger Lakes was blended with traditional white grapes like Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Riesling to have you blushing after just one sip - swearing you were sipping White Zinfandel, only better.
Stay tuned for the unveiling of more fun and fizzy wines this holiday season….
Don’t Take Wine Too Seriously
So, let’s dispel the myth that sweet wines aren’t for “serious” wine lovers. We aren’t “serious” wine lovers anyhow. We’re “real” wine lovers who are as unpretentious as you can get. No one should take themselves too seriously and our brand certainly doesn’t. We do, however, have some seriously good sweet wines.
America is turning onto the sweet power of sweet wines. We’re in step and we’ve been on track with this since 2010 with many of our top-selling selections in the sweet wine category!
Want to learn more about how sweet wines are crafted?
For more on pink wines, see Pairing Pink Wines
