Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/3815
october 2009 / the tasting panel / 45 In Good Spirits While spirits make up only a small percentage of Constellation's U.S. business, the company has hit a sweet spot with Svedka, a mid-premium Swedish vodka that has grown by 50 percent in 2009 to become the third-largest import- ed vodka in the U.S. and the fastest growing major spirits brand in the world. "The growth is two-fold," notes Wright; "spirits consumers are trading down from ultra-premium products to Svedka, and the brand's unique marketing has been a hit with consumers looking for quality and value." The bottom line, "We're on track to sell more than three mil- lion cases this year." Growing Expectations With its world-class portfolio and renewed routes to market, Constellation's sales projections for 2010 are in line with the industry's four percent growth in value. With the emphasis on established brands that have a high quality-to-price ratio, Wright points to value growth by the company's largest brand— Woodbridge—which continues to see heatlhy growth, and to super- premium brands such as Estancia, Simi, Kim Crawford, Wild Horse and Clos du Bois. "Our industry has always been more recession-resistant than oth- ers," Wright explains, "and we are well positioned to bounce back quickly. Not only are we seeing signs that consumers are starting to get back out and spend on-premise again, indicators for wholesale pur- chases and housing are rebounding, making us hopeful for the upcoming holiday season." The Sky Is the Limit In addition to overseeing chan- nel management, Wright has the strategic support of his business insights team to help guide the direction of sales and marketing initiatives. In a follow-up study to the company's Genome Project, proprietary research that looked closely at the habits and preferences of domestic wine consumers, there are a few surprises. Millennials (defined as age 21–32 by the Wine Market Council) are responsible for more growth in wine consumption than any other age group, and they consider it the most fun. The biggest departure from con- ventional thinking looks at who's doing the buying—and men are outpacing women by almost ten percent in this group. "The evolution of the Millennials is very exciting; we're watching closely to see where this group is going with their brands over the next five to ten years," says Wright. "Millennials are open to experimentation, much like Baby Boomers were in the 1960s. They are the first generation that doesn't view wine as intimidating; they view it like an everyday product. It is with them that Robert Mondavi's vision of see- ing a bottle wine on every table has a chance to become a reality." The attractive range from Sonoma County's historic Simi Winery. PHOTO COURTESY OF CONSTELLATION WINES US