Wine giant says critter labels not a passing fad

Constellation Brands Inc., the world’s largest wine company, Wednesday said the trend of putting animals and other eye-catching images on wine labels to spur sales is not a passing fad.

Thomas Summer, the chief financial officer, said the spectacular success of Yellow Tail, an Australian wine whose label features a wallaby, has shown that wine can attract younger, newer customers, with good marketing.

Sales of Yellow Tail, made by private label Casella Wines, are expected to total several million cases this year, and the brand has become the No. 1 U.S. imported wine.

Summer said, though, the proliferation of “critter” or ”concept” brands — often featuring kangaroos, koalas, lizards, penguins, swans and assorted pouched and unpouched animals —could reach a saturation point, diluting any one brand’s impact.

“Definitely starting with Yellow Tail, it has been a very rapidly growing part of the market, and we’ve captured more than our fair share,” Summer said at a Bank of America investment conference.

“Is it a fad? I don’t think so,” he continued. “It is actually a representation of (new), younger consumers coming into the wine market and being excited by things that are different ... It may not be as explosive in terms of its growth in the future, but it definitely affords an opportunity for growth now.”

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCBP leaders cut out of Trump ad buy decision

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

Constellation, based in Fairport, New York, has introduced its own wines with concept labels.
They include Monkey Bay, a sauvignon blanc from New Zealand’s Marlborough region with a label that features a mischievous-looking green monkey performing a pirouette, and Twin Fin, a California pinot noir featuring a ’50s-style finned red convertible.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCBP leaders cut out of Trump ad buy decision

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

These wines remain only a small part of Constellation’s wine portfolio, which also includes Alice White, Ravenswood and Robert Mondavi, which the company recently bought for $1.04 billion.
Wine accounted for 68 percent of Constellation’s $1.1 billion in fiscal first-quarter sales. Beer, including No. 1 U.S. import Corona, and spirits accounted for the rest.

Despite the labeling changes, traditionally labeled wines still predominate, although there have also been changes. Many German producers have in recent years made their labels appear less daunting by replacing Gothic lettering with easier-to-read type.

“We’re not putting all our eggs in one basket,” he said. ”Whether it’s a wine in more exciting, sizzling packaging, or wines in more traditional packaging, at the end of the day it’s the wine itself that brings the consumer back for a repeat purchase.”