Mini-Rieslings: Hazlitt Hopes To Take a Major Step With Customers

By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor
Photo courtesy of Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards

Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards has just released a new mini-format riesling and they believe it will provide more options for consumers and restaurants. As shown at right, the wine will be sold in packs of four, with each bottle containing 187 milliliters of wine (or exactly 1/4 a standard bottle of wine). 

"People want a single-serving bottle," Hazlitt's Director of Marketing, Brad Phillips, told me. "There are a lot of customers who don't want to have to get rid of a whole bottle of wine. So this format not only gives them the wine in the size they're looking for, but it also discourages over-consumption."

This is Hazlitt's second mini-bottle release, with their 2008 semi-dry Riesling following the popular Red Cat. Soon the Seneca Lake producer will offer White Cat in this size format, with Schooner Red (a vinifera blend) and Brambleberry to follow later this year.

The concept was born last summer when customers at Watkins Glen raceway wanted Hazlitt wine but weren't permitted to take glass bottles near the track. Hazlitt decided to offer wine mini-bottles made of plastic, closed with a screw cap. The Riesling will likely sell for $9.99 per 4-pack. 

"We're confident that our customers want vinifera wines in this format," Phillips said. "We'll use this year as a measuring stick for demand. And while this isn't exactly a format that promotes aging wine, we've packaged the wine in UV-protected bottles so sunlight can't damage the product."

The Riesling 4-packs have already arrived in some stores, including Peppers Discount Liquor in Auburn, and Hazlitt is marketing the idea to restaurants. "We think restaurants will have the opportunity to sell wine to customers who might not be able to drink an entire bottle," Phillips said. "This is how they can offer a single serving." La Cocina Restaurant in Penn Yan has already placed on order.

If the Riesling Minis prove to be a success, Hazlitt expects the format to extend the Finger Lakes brand to new markets.

"The challenge is getting Finger Lakes Riesling in more people's glass," Phillips said. "The more options there are, the more opportunities this region has to reach more customers." The easy bet is that this format will be a hit at the race track. The more interesting experiment is whether customers will seek out vinifera in plastic mini-bottles in their liquor stores. Hazlitt's betting they will, and if they're right, it wouldn't be surprising to see other producers offer wine in this smaller format.

Comments

[Peter Becraft/Anthony Road Wine Co.]

I was just in a conversation a couple of days ago about Finger Lakes wineries that lead the pack in marketing and my mention was Hazlitt. They have branding down pat and they are not afraid to act on ideas. I can see these bottles being served on airlines. Handsome label, I'm already anticipating notes of peach in there.

[Daryl]

Personally, I would like to see some 3.0 liter boxes of Finger Lakes riesling. Are any wineries currently pursuing this?

[Lenn Thompson]

Has anyone tasted this Hazlitt 08 Riesling? I haven't, but I'm curious as to its quality. Even if it's "average" for the region, these bottles will likely fly off the shelves.

Daryl, I'm sure that someone is pondering bag-in-box packaging and I agree, I'd like to see it. I'd love to have a 3L box of Finger Lakes riesling in my fridge all summer long.

[Leigh Hazlitt Triner]

Evan,
Thanks for covering our new Riesling minis! I am very excited about this new packaging and hope to offer all of our top viniferas within a year or so!

[1WineDude]

Those bottles look small even to me! :-)

[Peter Bell / Fox Run]

To a real wine drinker, airline splits hold a shockingly small amount, but this is a great idea. I am jealous of those graphics.

[Michael Gorton, Jr.]

What is the price of the regular 750ml of the same wine?

In my opinion, I first thought this was a wine cooler.

I understand the concept from a marketing point, but the romance is lost with this four pack.

[Cidergalnh]

As someone who is charged with building a market for a product, I am often asked about availability of our Farnum Hill Ciders in splits or small format bottles. While I understand the urge for on premise accounts in particular to have a smaller size, the truth from the production side is that changing your bottling line and suppliers, packaging, etc. is quite costly. I hope that Hazlitt sees huge growth in sales from the small bottles, but remain skeptical.

[Evan Dawson]

Leigh - We'll be very interested to see the sales results of this endeavor. Keep us up to date!

Dude - These bottles are like miniature Buddhas, covered in hair.

Mike - The price of the standard bottle should be roughly the same as the 4-pack minis.

Cider - I understand your skepticism, but this is a company with an excellent track record of successful marketing. We shall see.

[Dan Updike]

As someone in retail I can tell you the 4-packs are very popular. Strange though, a couple of large wineries (Alice White is one I believe) have discontinued theirs. The good news is that after we confirmed they were indeed available, we made room for Hazlitt Red Cat 4-pks on the shelf.

As far as box wine goes, the decision to shut down Widmer's private label operation has left a huge vacuum for someone to fill with varietals like Concord and Niagara. I'm told the technology involved in packing and filling boxes involves a whole different set-up than many bottling lines that already exist. Bottom line-sounds expensive.