Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/133302
COVER STORY The Summer of Sangria DEUTSCH FAMILY WINE & SPIRITS PROVES THAT THIS IS THE SEASON OF PREMIUM SANGRIA WITH [ yellow tail ] AND EPPA by Rachel Burkons / photos by Doug Young A t long last summertime is upon us. Warm breezes and long sunny days carry the promise of lazy afternoons spent with friends and family; golden sunsets call out, beckoning us outside, onto our porches, into our backyards and in front of our barbecues. With so much fun in the sun to be had and picnic table spreads to be completed, wine-loving consumers are on the lookout for new products to complete their summertime sipping. But today's consumer, younger and savvier than ever, is also looking outside the box when it comes to their seasonal wine selections, taking cues from the world of flavored spirits and an uptick in interest in sweet wines. Enter premium sangria, the category set to shake things up this summer—and all year long—thanks to two new products that are putting the ready-to-drink sangria category on the international beverage map. "We see sangria as the next big thing in wine," says Tom Steffanci, President of Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits, the company that's working overtime to give the consumer what they're asking for with the recently-released Eppa SupraFruta Sangria and [ yellow tail ] sangria, which will be available soon. "Consumers are very interested in sweet wine," comments Steffanci, who points to the sales surge in the Moscato category as proof that drier isn't always better— particularly among the ever-emerging Millennial market. "The younger consumer is totally inspiring. They grew up eating food from all over the world; they're interested in tasting new things, trying new styles. They're not afraid to try new things from different places: sweet, fruity, fun. They operate with reckless abandon—in a very good way!—and we're really trying to meet their needs." Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits President Tom Steffanci fell in love with Eppa at first sip, and calls the ready-to-drink sangria "jarringly good." Building on a Tradition of Success But Steffanci isn't the only one with his ear to the ground at Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits. Listening—to the consumer, to the buyer and to the supplier—is standard procedure at this independent family-owned and -operated company. Deutsch originally brought [ yellow tail ] to market in 2001 and has since grown the charmingly bracketed, unassumingly lowercase Australian brand to impressive stats, including the numberone-selling red wine brand in the U.S., the number-one imported wine, the numberone imported Chardonnay and number-one seller in four other varietal categories. "[ yellow tail ]'s incredible success has impacted our business dramatically," comments CEO Peter Deutsch, who, along with his father, Bill Deutsch, Chairman, steers the company toward like-minded businesses—namely, producers with family front-and-center (see sidebar for more on the Deutsch family). "When [ yellow tail ] june 2013 / the tasting panel / 57 TP0613_042-79.indd 57 5/23/13 4:33 PM