The origin story has it that Gregory Ahn and others who started Alcohol by Volume came up with the name on a night when they consumed a case of wine and a bottle of tequila.Īlcohol by Volume partnered with winemaker Dario De Conti, who started working at 14 in his family vineyard in Veneto, Italy.
That’s the plan for Bread & Butter, Lewin said in the article.īread & Butter was launched in 2010 and was owned by Alcohol by Volume, named for the designation of the percentage of alcohol that appears on every alcoholic beverage container in the world. When WX buys a winery it often leaves the winemakers and founders in place, focusing the company’s efforts on promoting the brands and increasing sales. WX, founded in 1999 as the Wine Exchange, is big - 68 wine labels, beer and liquor divisions and annual sales in 12 countries of 6 million cases - but not as big as the giants. I have no idea if the practice is sustainable, but it doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Although the practice seems sort of sad, the founders can benefit, and go on to make other good wines, and we end up with more to choose from on store shelves. They are scooping up smaller wineries that have built a reputation by producing good, affordable wines. The acquisition of Bread & Butter, a company that also makes a very good Pinot Noir, is an example of aggressive behavior, particularly along the West Coast, by industry giants, such as Gallo, Constellation Brands and the Wine Group. Lewin is the senior vice president of marketing and strategy at WX Brands, a company that was so excited about Bread & Butter that it snapped up the brand a couple of weeks ago, according to the article announcing the sale. It has really struck a chord with consumers,” said Oren Lewin in a recent article in the Napa Valley Register. “This is one of the hottest brands in the wine industry. Sales of Bread & Butter grew more than 70 percent last year, and the wine is ranked 27th by Nielsen among brands in the price range. And you can expect to see more bargain prices for this very good wine in the future. I have expanded the definition a bit with the $10 stuff because that’s what Bread & Butter does. Bread & Butter Chardonnay is among the top-selling super premium wines in the country, and there’s a good reason for that - it’s a dry, white wine that is flavorful, well-crafted and sells for a reasonable price.Īlthough super premium sounds highfalutin, it’s just industry jargon for wines that sell in the $12 to $15 range and sometimes go on sale for less than $10.