Faced with profound sea changes in consumer habits in recent years, retailers are tweaking inventory and encouraging wine exploration. “A lot of business in this store is through hand sales,” says Sam Audia, wine sommelier and buyer at Bay Ridge Wine & Spirits in Annapolis, Maryland. “I work very hard with customers trusting me to pick wines that might take them out of their comfort zones.”
Through the end of June, wine depletions nationwide decreased 8.2%, according to Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America’s SipSource. Bay Ridge is trying to combat that trend with a mix of inventory. “We are keeping a good base of a lot of things and not laying into any one category heavily,” Audia says. “We’re leaning into more mid-priced wines in the upper teens to less than $30, which seems to be the sweet spot for white and red. Above $30 a bottle has been a tough sell.”
Driven by economic pressure and the self-care movement, consumers are more price- and health-conscious. “Customers are buying fewer bottles per visit, sticking to reliable brands and varietals they know and trust,” says Jon Halper, founder and CEO of the 15-unit retail chain Top Ten Liquors in Minnesota’s Twin Cities. “Even the most elite buyers are scaling back, focusing on quality over quantity or top brands.”
Halper has responded to trends with increased attention on quality wines less than $20 a bottle, staff education, and tastings. “It’s crucial for us to offer meaningful value, providing budget-conscious customers access to better quality wines they’ve grown to appreciate,” Halper says. “We’re doubling down on product training, ensuring our team is more knowledgeable than ever, ready to guide both novice and expert customers.”
Moving into the fall season, sales of wines from Oregon’s Willamette Valley, France’s Loire Valley, and California’s Central Coast are off to a strong start at Top Ten. Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, and Chenin Blanc are also picking up steam. “People are looking for wines that match the season and are versatile, sustainable, and perfect for cooler weather,” Halper says.
At Bay Ridge, Cabernet Sauvignon sales usually pick up once the weather cools. “Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignons have been doing well, including Daou ($26 a 750-ml.), The Fableist ($25), and J. Lohr Seven Oaks ($17),” Audia says.
To clear inventory, Bay Ridge sold rosés at a 20% discount the last week of August. “Rosés over the last couple of years have been down. A lot has to do with canned cocktails and hard seltzers,” Audia says. “We used to have 75 SKUs of rosés in the summertime, but this summer we had just over 40. Most of the activity is in the high teen prices. Whispering Angel rosé ($18.39 a 750-ml.) has become a brand moving on its own.”
White wines, however, tend to do well at Bay Ridge in the summertime, including Albert Bichot Bourgogne Aligoté ($21 a 750-ml.), Collina San Ponzio Roero Arneis ($17), Aragosta Vermentino di Sardegna ($15), and Sella & Mosca La Cala Vermentino di Sardegna ($19). “I work hard to have a selection of domestic and imported wines that are good values and some unusual grape varieties such as Aligoté—known as the other white Burgundy—and Arneis, called the white Barolo of Piedmont,” Audia says.
At San Francisco-based online retailer Wine.com, Vermentino, Sauvignon Blanc, and Albariño are leading white varietal growth heading into autumn. “Although red wine still dominates our unit volume at 48%, since June, we’ve seen white wines take share growing to 35.2% of unit volume, up 0.6%,” says the website’s founder, Mike Osborn.
Wine.com is joining other merchants and producers by participating in “Come Over October,” a campaign focusing on the time-honored tradition of breaking bread and sharing wine with friends and family. Created by Come Together—A Community for Wine Inc., the promotion celebrates in-person connections.
Top Ten is bringing back its Grand Tasting at select stores ahead of the holidays for customers to sample a wide variety of wines and other categories like THC beverages. Enomatic wine dispensing machines have been rolled out in most Top Ten locations, offering a rotating selection of eight to 16 wines to sample. “These machines are already drawing attention, giving our customers more ways to try before they buy,” Halper says.
Bay Ridge has been offering themed tastings, such as an upcoming event on September 12 featuring wines that retail between $50 and $100 a bottle. “These will be wines people don’t normally see at tastings,” Audia says. “We try to have an educational component to our wine tastings. We did a French wine tasting in June, which was well attended. We sold 25 to 30 cases in two hours.”
Meanwhile, Wine.com continues enhancing its website and mobile app with navigation additions such as Map View. “The ability for customers to view the global offering and discover new regions of their favorite variety has unlocked new customer journeys,” Osborn says.