Beverage alcohol retailers nationwide are stocking up on lean white and light red wines to pair with hearty Thanksgiving fare and set a smooth tone leading into the holiday shopping season. California and Oregon Pinot Noirs, and Gamay from Beaujolais, France are always popular this time of year at Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant in San Francisco and Oxbow Cheese & Wine Merchant in Napa, California. “Other lighter reds do well too, including fresher styles of Barbera and Langhe Nebbiolo,” says Peter Granoff, owner and partner of the two stores. “In whites, the preferences lean to unoaked or moderately oaked, including California Sauvignon Blanc, Chablis, Sancerre, Albariño from California, Spain, and Portugal, drier Riesling from Germany, Alsace, and Austria, and bubbly at all price points.”
The San Francisco and Napa shops both have full-service wine bars, which help drive retail sales. Ferry Plaza also hosts Wednesday Flight Nights from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and on November 20 will feature Laurent-Perrier Champagne ($55 a 750-ml. for La Cuvée Brut). Granoff notes wine sales are beginning to stabilize and probably up a bit from last year. Thanksgiving is very important to wine sales at the two stores, where most volume is in the $20 to $40 a 750-ml. range. “Many retail merchants generally see huge volume the Friday after Thanksgiving,” Granoff says. “In our case it’s the Wednesday before that is the busiest, and it’s largely driven by Thanksgiving.”
Argonaut Wine & Liquor in Denver is attracting customers with in-store wine tastings alongside Instagram posts providing tasting notes and pairing recommendations for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Crisp whites and lighter reds like Pinot Noir typically sell the best at Argonaut leading up to Turkey Day. Cooler weather white wines from France, Italy, Germany, New Zealand, and the United States also perform strongly during the holiday run up since they generally pair well with Thanksgiving food. “It is also the time of year Rieslings and Gewürztraminers sell their best,” says store owner Josh Robinson.
Thanksgiving is extremely important to overall beverage alcohol sales at Argonaut. “Just under 10% of our business for the year is in November and a lot of that comes from Thanksgiving,” Robinson says. “Generally, when people are celebrating, Bourbon sales tick up, especially this time of year when it’s cold.”
Independent beverage alcohol retailers in Colorado like Argonaut are also looking to reverse trends this holiday season as they have been under intense competitive pressure since it became legal last year for big box, grocery, and convenience stores with existing beer licenses to sell wine. “Colorado has been a tough market the last few years,” Robinson says. “This year we are starting to level out in terms of business so hopefully we can start growing again soon.”
Boutique Wines, Spirits & Cider in Fishkill, New York kicked off the holiday season with a grand tasting Saturday, November 2 featuring more than 70 wines presented by distribution reps at 13 tables. “For the month leading up to Thanksgiving, we pinpoint wines that would pair with classic Thanksgiving fare, and we mark them with a turkey symbol to indicate the pairing potential,” says store owner Paige Flori. “We have several last-minute tastings for those folks who wait until the day before.”
Wine sales at Boutique gain momentum leading up to Thanksgiving and into the holiday season. “The holidays consistently bring a rise in wine sales, and Thanksgiving has traditionally been one of the busiest times at Boutique,” Flori says. “Thanksgiving is centered on family and community, and we see this reflected in people’s purchases, as the occasion often inspires them to select special bottles.”
Sales of cool weather white varietals are gaining traction at the Boutique as are certain rosés. “Overall, the Rieslings, Muscat, Gewürztraminer, and Sauvignon Blanc do well this time of year due to their versatility, acidity, and ability to cut through rich food.” Flori says. “The days of rosé wines being only for the summer are long over in our store. Heavier options like Bandol ($24 to $30 a 750-ml.), Tavel ($21 to 24), and Ceresuolo ($18) really start to ramp up. We also have a Galliopo rosé ($17), which works beautifully with traditional turkey. The sales are still strong, but they move away from the lighter styles.”
Holiday shopping around Thanksgiving also contributes to a hike in spirits sales. Cream liqueurs and fall season flavors like cranberry from Heimat Liqueur ($30 a 375-ml.), pumpkin and apple from Sip Shine Moonshine ($18 a 750-ml.), and blackberry whiskey from Starlight ($30 a 750-ml.) tend to trend up at Boutique this time of year. “We see more interest in ready-to-drink cocktails and the 1.75-liter bags ($52) and 200-ml. jars ($13) of Le Coqtail Manhattan and Old-Fashioned are trending. Customers are looking for a high-quality product that doesn’t require a lot of mixing.”