Beverage Dynamics is the largest national business magazine devoted exclusively to the needs of off-premise beverage alcohol retailers, from single liquor stores to big box chains, through coverage of the latest trends in wine, beer and spirits.
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14 Beverage Dynamics • July/August 2017 www.beveragedynamics.com "We have worked closely with legalization proponents to understand their views and have offered our three-tier system as a model worth replicating for their new industry," he added. The 2017 Sidney Frank Innovation Award went to Gerry Ruvo, chairman of Campari America (right). "Gerry Ruvo is an exceptional leader, brand builder, and philanthropist," said presenter Jeff Popkin, CEO of Mast-Jägermeister U.S., which sponsors the award. The annual recognition honors an industry titan who typifi es the qualities of the award's namesake. "Sidney Frank is someone I admired for his determination, his innovation, and his gener- osity," said Ruvo. "I'm proud to be among the luminaries in our industry who've won this award." Every year a donation is made to the winner's charity of choice. "I expect in other industries that you would just get an award. In wine and spirits, this yet again demonstrates how gen- erous we are," Ruvo said. He opted to benefi t the American Cancer Society and pros- tate cancer research, having overcome the disease years earlier himself. Ruvo pointed to the support of friends in the industry as helping him through the diffi cult period. "Generosity comes in many forms," he said. "It's possible to be generous every day without spending a dime." CANNED WINE WSWA provides annual opportunity for producers of all sizes to show off their lineups and latest innovations. Among this year's representatives were brands of canned wine. Mancan was one take on this trendy category. Packaged in 375-ml. cans with craft beer-inspired labels, this brand comes in three fl avors of 100% Californian wine: red, white, and fi zz. "We're purposely non-vintage, non-varietal," says Fisk Big- gar, Mancan co-founder. "We want to make it as easy as possi- ble." The product is geared towards males as a "response to the hyper-feminized industry," he added. Elsewhere in the space is Lila Wines. Produced by Latitude Beverages, these come in 250-ml. cans. "That's a single serving of wine," explains Kevin Mehra, president of Latitude Beverages. "Our research shows that's the preferred size. Any bigger and it's more than one serving. And larger sizes will get warm by the time you're fi nishing it." Lila currently offers pinot grigio, rosé and sparkling wines, produced in Europe. "It's an emerging category," Mehra adds. "People today like to consume wine and beverages wherever they go. And it's also about portion control. With one can being one drink, you don't have to open a whole bottle if you want one glass of wine." GIN AND MEZCAL The gin category continues to evolve as producers put craft spins on spirits. A recent trend is for producers to promote these spins as regional-specifi c styles of gin. One such example is Seersucker gin. Made by Azar Family Brands, Seersucker labels itself a "southern style gin," a phrase the company has trademarked. What this means for the spirit is a shift from juniper towards additional fl avors of citrus, honey and mint. "We wanted a taste profi le where people would not be in- timidated by the juniper," explains Richard N. Azar III, company founder and master distiller. Though the juniper is still present, it's a moderate backbone upon the mid-palate, rather than being the focus of the gin. The mezcal movement was in full bloom as plenty of brands of tequila and mezcal showed off products. Among these was Scorpion Mezcals, which was pouring its premium varietals, like tobala and barril. Look up tobala mezcal and you're likely to read that this rare varietal of agave cannot be grown commercially. But Scorpion Mezcals distiller Douglas French disagrees. "I grow it naturally like any other agave," he says. Although mezcal is starting to have its moment, French be- lieves the category still has far to go. "Most of the public still do not know what 'mezcal' means," he says. "Though people are becoming more aware of it in the sophisticated markets." "Hipster bartenders are leading the movement," he adds. "They understand and are stocking the different varietals. Te- quila bars have begun putting in mezcal sections, but it's still just two percent of the market." BD TRIP Report