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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Market Profi le Farrell says Haskell's has always carried several rosés, "but you're seeing everybody do it now, and they're becoming less seasonal," he adds. Further, consumers are migrating away from pinot grigios and going into New Zealand sauvignon blancs, he says. "You have a consumer now willing to try new things and explore the worlds of wine," Farrell says. "People are even trying Mateus again." Mateus is a medium-sweet frizzante rosé origi- nally produced in Portugal after WWII. Kanski says his shop is having its ninth annual Rosé Tent Tasting in late May. "We have seen this explosion in rosé con- sumption over the last decade, and I believe it will only become stronger," he says. At the peak of last year's season, Solo Vino had more than 165 rosé selections and carries some year-round. Last month, he sold over 10 cases of rosé "at a time when most retailers have no rosé section at all," he says. He also predicts an infl ux of wines from eastern Europe, including Slovenia, Geor- gia, Hungary and Romania. In Minneapolis/St. Paul, as in so many other cities, craft beer has also exploded over the past decade, with consumers' tastes and interests keeping pace with the rapid increase in offerings. "I work mostly with the beer department, and in the past two years, not a week has gone by where we don't have at least one new item," Surdyk says. She adds that new breweries and distilleries are always popping up—and making great products—in the Minne- apolis area. "We connect with them frequently and grow together," she says. "As a whole, the taproom scene is somewhat of an experience, then customers come here to buy beer to take home. Sure, someone could just go there to drink and then go home, but we really fi t well together. There are certain releases that they'll only have available here." Yes, taproom customers will sometimes "just take a growler home with them instead of coming here and buying a six pack—then maybe some wine, too. " But Sur- dyk says her number-one calls are still about beer. "That's defi nitely not how it used to be," she says. She believes craft-beer sales won't be slowing down anytime soon. "I think there will be more and more breweries," she says. "Everything with craft has been very successful. I predict more styles and selection. Now we just need more space so we can sell everything." Rosenberg says she is looking forward to the development of a soccer stadium in St. Paul that's being built near Big Top's Midway location. "There is huge development all over our city," she says. "That we are able to be a part of it still is exciting and brings new opportunities." BD SARAH PROTZMAN HOWLETT is a freelance writer and editor based in Boulder, Colo. A veteran of Condé Nast Publications in New York City, her work has appeared in O, The Oprah Magazine; Prevention; Denver's 5280; and trade magazines across various industries. 26 Beverage Dynamics • March/April 2017 www.beveragedynamics.com JOIN US AT BARC! The inaugural Beverage Alcohol Retailers Conference will be held June 12-14 at the Radisson Blue Downtown in Minneapolis. Join us there to learn more about the independent retail market in the Twin Cities, and meet some of the retailers quoted in this story. Visit www.BevRetailersConference.com for information on registration, speakers, sessions, sponsorship opportunities and more. Haskell's has been a downtown Minneapolis institution for generations.