While much of the attention in the U.S. sparkling wine market has been focused on Prosecco recently, California sparkling wines have also been making strides, particularly at the higher end, as consumers continue to trade up in their drinks choices. Growth among domestic sparklers has been concentrated mostly in the above-$15 segment lately.

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The upscale Schramsberg brand, handled by Wilson Daniels, has likewise been on the upswing, advancing 4% to 83,000 cases last year. Rocco Lombardo, president of Wilson Daniels, tells SND that Schramsberg accelerated as the stay-at-home orders began last year. “From June 2020-Dec 2020 alone, our depletions of Schramsberg were up 22%, driven by the classic range of Blanc de Blancs, Blanc de Noirs, and Brut Rosé. This acceleration has continued in 2021, to the extent that as we pass the middle of the year, we’ll start to realize some supply challenges, most specifically with Blanc de Blancs,” he says. Through May, Schramsberg was up 35%, with strong performances in New York, California, Texas, and Florida in both the on- and off-premise. “It feels like all our oars are in the water right now, and moving in a positive direction,” adds Schramsberg president and CEO Hugh Davies.

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