The Delhaize group sold 120,000 units in 2021. And seek to expand its range of “ready-to-drink” wine.
When he embarked on the adventure in 2013, Cédric Ségal was considered a heretic. The French entrepreneur, boss of Winestar, had dared to commit the affront of marketing canned wine. A crime of lèse-majesté in a wine world very attached to traditions and which had already had difficulty accepting the marketing of grands crus in cubis. Since then, wine has flowed under the bridges and Winestar has managed to sell nearly two million of the precious nectar in its aluminum boxes.
Above all, the company dared to put on the table a hitherto taboo question: can wine be offered in packaging other than the glass bottle or the cubi? For a majority of French people, the answer is yes. At least if we are to believe the OpinionWay survey at the opening of the Paris wine fair. According to this study, 72% of the panel surveyed would be ready to try the experiment. A proportion that rises to 85% among young people. Quite different results seem to be occurring here. In a survey we conducted of 3,500 of our readers, nearly 9 people find the very idea of drinking wine from a can ridiculous. Only 10% would see no opposition to it.
However, the product, very popular in the United Kingdom and the United States where there are more than 300 brands, should be able to find its audience. A year ago, Delhaize, a pioneer in the field in Belgium, embarked on the adventure and offered four references in its stores: sparkling rosé, fruity and white in 25 cl cans sold between 2.99 and €3.99 each. A year later, nearly 120,000 cans were sold by the Lion brand. So much so that the group plans to expand its range. “Our desire is to look for new references that are of comparable quality to what we currently offer”commented Karima Ghozzi, port-words de Delhaize.