Discover the Latest in the Liquor Industry: Trends and News

Liquor Industry News 12-29-25

Franklin Liquors

Liquor Industry News

The Wonderful World Of Wine (WWW)

By: Mark C Lenzi

CSW, CSS, CWAS, FWS, IWS*, SWS, OWE, IWM*

12-29-2025

Liquor Industry Week In Review

The Wonderful World Of Wine (WWW)

This Weeks Highlights:

New Products

NOW IS THE TIME FOR WINERIES TO ADVERTISE

Don’t Freeze Champagne This New Year’s Eve. Here’s Why

Douse Your Cheese with Champagne

Wine in supermarkets? Maybe, but let’s be honest about the impact

Despite what we’re told, all big policy changes come with pluses and minuses, and allowing wine to be sold in grocery stores would not be an exception

https://www.timesunion.com/churchill/article/churchill-wine-supermarkets-maybe-honest-impact-21225338.php

You’ve Heard of Orange Wine, but Do You Know Yellow Wine?

In the world of wine, reds and whites may dominate, but the spectrum of colors is far more kaleidoscopic: whimsical salmon-pink rosés, bright magenta co-ferments, and the now ubiquitous skin-contact orange wines.

https://vinepair.com/articles/yellow-wine-explained/

13 Things That Might Surprise You About Prohibition

Upon Repeal, who famously said, “What America needs now is a drink”?

https://www.winespectator.com/articles/10-things-that-might-surprise-you-about-prohibition

Flip That Cheap Beer’s Flavor On Its Head With A Few Dashes Of This Liquid

The additive in question is none other than bitters, a popular ingredient to add to many popular cocktails that can arguably be at its most useful when added to whatever less-than-stellar beer you have on hand.

https://www.thetakeout.com/2041393/add-bitter-cheap-beer-flavor-upgrade/

Americans still call sparkling wine Champagne, and France is over it

Champagne makers in France say many Americans still use the word “champagne” for almost any sparkling wine.

https://www.seattletimes.com/life/food-drink/americans-still-call-sparkling-wine-champagne-and-france-is-over-it/

Don’t Freeze Champagne This New Year’s Eve. Here’s Why

New Year’s Eve tends to turn even the most organized hosts into last-minute chillers, which is how so many bottles of bubbly end up wedged between frozen peas

https://www.thedailymeal.com/2042219/dont-freeze-champagne-new-years-eve/

New Gin

Milestone Brands’ Empress 1908 gin has entered the non-alcoholic spirits market with 0.0 Indigo. The spirit alternative is inspired by Empress’s flagship gin and made with a variety of botanicals including juniper, grapefruit, and butterfly pea flower, among others, plus filtered water and cane sugar. Empress 1908 0.0 Indigo is now available across the U.S. carrying a suggested price of $40 a bottle. Last year, Empress 1908 was at 148,000 cases in the U.S., according to Impact Databank.

Lofted Spirits to triple bottling output with site expansion

Kentucky-based Lofted Spirits will expand its main facility in Bardstown next year, nearly doubling its footprint while also tripling bottle capacity.

https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2025/12/lofted-spirits-to-triple-bottling-output-with-site-expansion/

Talk About Magnum Bottles

One of the most compelling reasons wine professionals reach for magnums is their ability to age wine more gracefully.

https://mywinepal.com/2025/12/10/talk-about-magnum-bottles/

Misguided USDA Guidelines Regarding Alcohol Need to be Fixed

Focusing on what’s in the glass instead of what’s in the blood explains why the current U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines regarding alcohol consumption – two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women is considered safe – get it wrong.

https://winereviewonline.com/misguided-usda-guidelines-regarding-alcohol-need-to-be-fixed/

Fowles Wine’s BatNav system could save millions

Fowles Wine has received a $500,000 Coles Nurture Fund grant, which is being put towards developing its ‘BatNav’ system, which has the potential to reduce reliance on pesticides in vineyards and save Australia’s wine industry $50m per annum.

https://theshout.com.au/fowles-wine-excited-about-batnav-system/

The effect of alcohol consumption on medical strokes

The effect of wine on our medical condition is not all bad, in spite of what you may hear these days.

http://winegourd.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-effect-of-alcohol-consumption-on.html

Biggest celebrity drinks launches of 2025

Last year the tranche of celebs entering the drinks world included Beyonce, Kylie Jenner and Jamie Foxx. Which famous faces joined the fray in 2025? Sarah Neish reports.

https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2025/12/biggest-celebrity-drinks-launches-of-2025/

RoboDrop: can driverless cars rescue US booze sales?

The drinks trade need not fret about the present malaise of the American appetite for alcohol. The Seventh Cavalry is riding over the hill to rescue it – in a fleet of robotaxis, says Ron Emler.

https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2025/12/robodrop-can-driverless-cars-rescue-us-booze-sales/

American Whiskey Production Has Plummeted to a New Low

This is more bad news for an industry that is already struggling.

https://robbreport.com/food-drink/spirits/american-whiskey-production-lowest-level-1237409814/

‘Sud de France’ label to be discontinued

In a decision dated December 3, the French Council of State banned the labeling of wines with the ‘Sud de France’ brand.

https://www.meininger.de/en/meiningers-international/news/sud-de-france-label-be-discontinued

Anheuser-Busch Announces It Will Close Two Breweries and Sell Another

The shutterings will lower the beverage conglomerate’s brewery count to nine. ABI cited updates to production at other facilities as the reason for the consolidation.

https://vinepair.com/booze-news/abi-to-close-three-breweries/

The Best Single Malts of 2025

We’re getting into the big guns now in our search for the world’s best bottles.

https://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2025/12/the-best-single-malts-of-2025

I Tried the Viral Red Wine Ice Cream Trend, and I’m Officially Converted

After weeks of seeing red wine poured over vanilla ice cream on social media, I finally tried the viral dessert trend for myself.

https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/red-wine-ice-cream-trend/

Could mini-liquor bottles be banned in Connecticut?

State data shows in the past 12 months, ending September 30, there were more than 93 million mini-liquor bottles sold in our state.

https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/investigations/could-mini-liquor-bottles-be-banned-in-connecticut/3674541/

Banshee Releases New Pinot Noir In Partnership With Avril Lavigne

The Foley Family Wines & Spirits label is named for the singer’s hit song.

https://www.marketwatchmag.com/banshee-releases-new-pinot-noir-in-partnership-with-avril-lavigne/

‘The role of Ozempic isn’t just about reduced consumption, it’s about a shift in values’

Weight loss medications are quietly reshaping how and why people drink, pushing alcohol towards a more selective and health-aware future. James Bayley asks whether health can be pursued without losing autonomy.

https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2025/12/the-role-of-ozempic-isnt-just-about-reduced-consumption-its-about-a-shift-in-values/

Is XXL Wine Exactly What the Industry Needs Right Now?

Supersize the booze, lose the propriety, infuse the night with unsubtle, youthful fun

https://kathleenwillcox.substack.com/p/is-xxl-wine-exactly-what-the-industry

6 Drinks Trends to Leave Behind in 2025

2025 was a whirlwind year for the drinks business.

https://vinepair.com/articles/drinks-trends-leave-behind-2025/

Russian Questions for US Wine Competition

How did Russian wines make it to a San Francisco wine competition, despite being banned by US law?

https://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2025/12/russian-questions-for-us-wine-competition

Don’t pour this Christmas drink down the sink, plumbers caution

Plumbers are warning of the dangers of tipping one festive drink down the plughole, unless you want to invite an emergency call-out bill. But which one is it, and why?

https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2025/12/dont-pour-this-christmas-drink-down-the-sink-plumbers-caution/

When ‘green’ means drinking differently: Laura Catena on Domaine As the wine industry wrestles with what sustainability really means,

Dr Laura Catena is reframing the debate — not around carbon alone, but around moderation. Her science-led Domaine EdeM project positions low- and no-alcohol wines as a vital part of a more sustainable drinking culture.

https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2025/12/when-green-means-drinking-differently-laura-catena-on-domaine-edem/

Take a Cue from the French: Douse Your Cheese with Champagne

Pairing cheese with Champagne or sparkling wine is hardly a new holiday tradition, but the French, unsurprisingly, take it a step further.

https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/langres-champagne-cheese/

Reposado is Tequila’s New Black

Anejo Tequila might be the one with the heavy price tag, but reposado is where all the fun is at

https://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2025/12/reposado-is-tequilas-new-black\

How Gen Z Is Quietly Rewriting the Rules of Wine

Data shows Gen Z’s rising engagement with wine is driven by lighter styles, values-focused buying habits, and tasting rooms that emphasize connection and transparency over traditional cues.

https://www.foodandwine.com/gen-z-wine-trends-2025-11868702

NOW IS THE TIME FOR WINERIES TO ADVERTISE

A Way to Get the Industry Out of the Morass

https://alangoldfarb2424.substack.com/p/now-is-the-time-for-wineries-to-advertise

Here’s How Hormone Changes Can Affect Alcohol Metabolism

So that’s why that glass of wine hits differently during your luteal phase.

https://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/a69710282/period-impact-how-you-metabolize-alcohol/

We Asked 13 Bartenders: What’s the Best Scotch for Beginners? (2025)

There are plenty of misconceptions around Scotch that may intimidate people from jumping into the category: They’re all smoke bombs.

https://vinepair.com/articles/wa-best-scotch-for-beginners-2025/

Stoli Halapeño Pepper turns up the heat

Stoli Group has introduced a new flavoured vodka, Stoli Halapeño Pepper, designed for Bloody Mary cocktails.

https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2025/12/stoli-turns-up-the-heat-with-spicy-vodka-for-bloody-marys/

Fruit-forward and aromatic wines win over modern drinkers

Consumers are increasingly choosing wines that are expressive, approachable and flavour-led rather than classic heavyweight styles. From Sauvignon Blanc to RTD wine cocktails, data shows fun and aromatic profiles are reshaping the market. Kathleen Willcox reports.

Wine pouring into collection of colorful wine glasses, each unique in shape. Diversity in wine drinking. Contemporary art collage. Concept of drink, winery, taste, party, wine culture

https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2025/12/fruit-forward-and-aromatic-wines-win-over-modern-drinkers/