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George Clooney drinks tequila, Ryan Reynolds gin. Female star? Wine in


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Celebrities have long used their faces and names to elevate wine brands, but George Clooney created Modern blueprint for cash payment for spirits when he sold his tequila company Casamigos to spirits giant Diageo for nearly $1 billion in 2017.

“Acting used to be how I paid the rent,” says Clooney The Sunday Times after the deal. “But I sold a tequila company for a billion dollars – I don’t need the money.”

That triggered a gold rush of celebrity entrepreneurs looking to replicate their success and cash in on the trend toward high-end spirits and cocktails, from David Beckham’s scotch to Ryan Reynolds’ gin and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s tequila.

But mostly male celebrities have been able to profit from this formula. Despite their exotic offerings, such as Vera Wang’s Chopin Vodka and Kendall Jenner’s 818 Tequila, these brands still dominate men, echoing a trend that’s been in history in the spirits industry.

Now, a new wave of female stars is making their way to a wine that needs a boost: wine.

The Covid-19 pandemic has fueled many trends in the alcohol business, but one of the biggest gainers is premium spirits in categories often favored by celebrities. Luxury spirits rose 43% last year, led largely by US tequila and whiskey, with growth ending in 2021 more than double the average rate over the past five years, according to the report. Distilled Liquor Council.

The U.S. wine market is the largest in the world, and products like champagne and champagne continue to thrive, but U.S. consumers overall are drinking less wine in their twenties. last year.

Currently, Baby Boomers are only the group that likes wine compared with other alcohol products, while the largest per capita spending on alcohol is between the ages of 35 and 55.

This has posed a significant challenge to an industry that is already struggling to attract young drinkers.

“Spirits are killing it, as are ready-made cocktails, and tequila is burning in spirits,” said Danny Brager, a longtime wine industry analyst. And since alcohol purchases in general don’t increase much from year to year, “if someone drinks more of one thing, they drink less of another,” Brager added.

Overrated wine in restaurants doesn’t help. According to a Nielsen survey, a 5-ounce serving of wine is 72% more expensive than a serving of spirits and nearly 50% more than a serving of beer.

Rob McMillan, executive vice president of Silicon Valley Bank and a prominent wine industry analyst, says the wine industry remains tied to strategies that have historically been successful, without looking full consideration of how fully the consumer has evolved.

“That’s the main threat,” McMillan said. “You can’t replace the group of people who have seen wine as something really special. It’s the alcoholic beverage of their choice, and all the people coming up, they identify with wine to a certain degree. to some extent, but they put alcohol in the same category as beer, spirits, ready-made cocktails – cannabis for that matter.”

In Silicon Valley Bank State of the wine industry 2022“report, it highlights” the industry’s failure to develop marketing that resonates with young people’s values. “

Celebrity-backed liquor brands have sought to differentiate themselves from other alcohol products, highlighting concepts that are more in line with the desires of younger consumers.

With attention to size, lower alcohol content, online purchases, price points, and brand ownership that includes women as well as BIPOC and LGBTQ+ individuals, female celebrities have sought to create created a niche in the wine sector that appealed to younger consumers.

A short list of female stars who are partnering with vineyards and producers to market wines to meet growing consumer demand include Elizabeth Banks, Mary J. Blige, The Chicks, Cameron Diaz , Chrissie Metz, Vera Wang and Reese Witherspoon.

Diaz and Katherine Power, co-owners of the Avaline wine brand, have focused on accessibility and portability, as well as health and wellness trends, with organic white and rosรฉ wines in four packages of 250ml cans. screw a cork or glass. . Along with being more sustainable, the concept of canned wine with smaller portions also makes it easier to simply drink wine, as there is no need to open a 750 ml bottle, according to market leader RTD (ready to go). to drink) is booming.

Similarly, actress and producer Elizabeth Banks also emphasized sustainability as well as accessibility to packaging and pricing with her own canned wine initiative, Archer Roose.

Alcohol industry in search of broader brand appeal

Tim McKirdy, managing editor of spirits-focused website VinePair, says the trend towards women-supported wine use has increased over the past two years.

โ€œAlcohol has always had a very high barrier to entry and is always difficult to navigate, especially if youโ€™ve just entered that space,โ€ says McKirdy. “So if you have a celebrity trying to say this is wine you can bring on a plane, this is a wine you can drink and no one is going to judge you, or hey, all the information. information is on the label here, you can find all the ingredients, you can’t find additives, the label is gluten-free, these are the things that I think people are comfortable with,” he said.

Famous women in the wine industry are also finding ways to convey their ethos to younger consumers who prioritize brand values.

The Chicks, known for being women in the music industry and challenging the status quo, recently entered the wine market with their Gaslighter Wine label, which has received high marks in the industry for its pink color. its. Marketing campaign led with messages like “own your power”, “speak your truth”. Even the cork reads: “Don’t let them fool you.”

According to Marco Fantinel, CEO of Blige’s winery, Mary J. Blige’s Sun Goddess brand emphasizes diversity. The Sun Goddess “hopes to illuminate the wine industry” by creating “more opportunities for women and for BIPOC representation,” Fantinel said.

โ€œI think this is the part of the wine market that a lot of people are trying to capture because itโ€™s one of those markets that is slowly disappearing,โ€ says McKirdy. “Younger consumers actually see these values โ€‹โ€‹as powerful, so if they see those values โ€‹โ€‹in a brand they care about, they’re more likely to be loyal or even maybe spend a few extra dollars to get peace of mind about that where their money will match their personal worth,” he added.

The Sun Goddess wines are displayed during the “Mary J. Blige’s My Life” fan screening in Atlanta at the IPIC Theater in Colony Square on June 22, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia

Paras Griffin | Getty Images Entertainment | beautiful pictures

According to the Change of Souls Initiative, minority and women-owned alcohol brands make up less than 5% of the industry as a whole.

The emphasis on young consumers’ needs and values โ€‹โ€‹led McKirdy to predict that popular female liquor brands will eventually lead to a larger audience, “a feeling of being included in the wine world.” .

“It’s a traditional industry,” McMillan said. “There are things we’re doing that are helping to grow the industry and have been successful, so we’re going to get there eventually, it’s going to be different when we do.”

The presence of prominent women in the wine industry can create the extra exposure and financial support needed for new developments in the wine industry to be accessible, economical and forward-thinking. more, while maintaining quality. Though the day hasn’t come for this star team to hustle to reach its spirit partner’s billion-dollar title.

Additional reporting by CNBC Leah Collins



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