Business of Drinks

How does a winery help change the way the world sees an entire country?In this episode of Business of Drinks, we talk with Christian Wylie, Managing Director of Bodega Garzón, one of the most ambitious winery projects in the world — and a case study in building belief in an unfamiliar category.Garzón is not just selling wine. It is helping create the modern market for premium Uruguayan wine.That means overcoming several layers of friction at once: a small country most consumers don’t associate with fine wine, a signature red grape — Tannat — that often needs context, and a white grape, Albariño, that buyers know from Spain and Portugal, but not necessarily South America.And yet, Garzón is growing quickly.Christian walks us through how the winery scaled from 2,000 bottles to 2 million bottles in roughly a decade, expanded from one market to about 60, and grew U.S. depletions by 40% in 2025 vs. 2024. Even more surprising: Albariño has become the growth engine, with on-premise sales up 90% in the U.S.For drinks entrepreneurs, the episode is packed with lessons on category creation, premium positioning, and market-building when demand is not already waiting for you.Christian gets into:🔶 Why Garzón is positioning Uruguay through freshness, drinkability, and Atlantic Ocean influence🔶 How 1,200 microparcels create complexity in the vineyard — and opportunity in the winery🔶 Why Albariño has become such a powerful commercial vehicle for the brand🔶 How hospitality, trade visits, and the Francis Mallmann restaurant help convert buyers into believers🔶 Why the team focuses on the fundamentals: show up, pour the wine, make the placement, follow up, and keep goingWe also talk about the scale of the investment behind Garzón: the LEED-certified winery, the sustainable vineyard program, the olive oil, the golf course, the proximity to José Ignacio, and the broader ecosystem that makes the place itself part of the brand.At a time when the wine market is under real pressure, Garzón offers a different kind of wine growth story — one built on patience, precision, and a willingness to do the hard work of education market by market.This is a conversation about Uruguay. But more than that, it’s about what it takes to make the unfamiliar feel inevitable.For the latest updates, follow us:Business of Drinks website (sign up for our newsletter!)Business of Drinks YouTubeBusiness of Drinks LinkedInInstagram @bizofdrinksErica Duecy, co-host: Erica Duecy is founder and co-host of Business of Drinks and one of the drinks industry’s most accomplished digital and content strategists. She runs the consultancy and advisory arm of Business of Drinks and has built publishing and marketing programs for Drizly, VinePair, SevenFifty, and other hospitality and drinks tech companies.Erica Duecy LinkedInInstagram @ericaduecyScott Rosenbaum, co-host: Scott Rosenbaum is co-host of Business of Drinks and a veteran strategist and analyst with deep experience building drinks portfolios. Most recently, he was the Portfolio Development Director at Distill Ventures. Prior to that, he was the Vice President of T. Edward Wines & Spirits, a New York-based importer and distributor.Scott Rosenbaum LinkedInCaroline Lamb, contributor: Caroline is a producer and on-air contributor at Business of Drinks and a key account sales and marketing specialist at AHD Vintners, a Michigan-based importer and distributor.Caroline Lamb LinkedInInstagram @borkalineSubscribe to the Business of Drinks channel for more insights on how brands, retailers, and operators are unlocking growth across beverages. And please rate and review us. Your support helps us reach new listeners. Thank you!

What makes a drinks brand truly desirable — and how do you know when it’s ready to scale?In this episode of Business of Drinks, we talk with Carlos Zepeda, SVP of Strategy & Marketing - Wine & Spirits at Moët Hennessy USA. Carlos helps shape growth strategy across a portfolio that includes Belvedere, Glenmorangie, Ardbeg, Whispering Angel, Hennessy, Veuve Clicquot, Dom Pérignon, Krug, and Moët & Chandon.Carlos brings a CPG-trained lens to luxury wine and spirits, starting with what he calls “demand moments”: the role a brand plays in the consumer’s life. Is it built for a country club, a dinner party, a milestone celebration, a poolside bar, a fine-dining account, or a grocery delivery add-on? That answer shapes everything — distribution, content, partnerships, pricing, and activation.The big takeaway is that desirability comes before scale. Carlos defines desirability as both emotional and behavioral. Consumers have to want the brand, feel proud to be associated with it, talk about it, buy it, and refer it to others. And there’s an easy business test to measure desirability: If you have velocity without heavy discounting, that’s a sign of real demand. If you need promotions to move inventory, that tells you something else.We also dig into selective distribution, and why “being available” does not mean being everywhere. Carlos explains how a brand like Whispering Angel has to show up where consumers expect it — from restaurants and hotels to Instacart and Uber Eats — while a brand like Dom Pérignon requires a much more surgical account strategy.Plus, Carlos shares how luxury experiential marketing is changing, why the old influencer-driven FOMO model feels tired, how brands should think about creator-led content, and how he uses AI as a practical “thinking partner” while keeping human judgment at the center.For emerging brands, his advice is blunt: Less is more. Pick fewer markets, fewer programs, and fewer channels. Being small is not the problem. Acting too big too soon is.This episode is a deep dive into how drinks brands earn relevance: By understanding the occasion, building desirability, choosing the right accounts, listening for consumer signals, and staying focused on where growth is really coming from.For the latest updates, follow us:Business of Drinks website (sign up for our newsletter!)Business of Drinks YouTubeBusiness of Drinks LinkedInInstagram @bizofdrinksErica Duecy, co-host: Erica Duecy is founder and co-host of Business of Drinks and one of the drinks industry’s most accomplished digital and content strategists. She runs the consultancy and advisory arm of Business of Drinks and has built publishing and marketing programs for Drizly, VinePair, SevenFifty, and other hospitality and drinks tech companies.Erica Duecy LinkedInInstagram @ericaduecyScott Rosenbaum, co-host: Scott Rosenbaum is co-host of Business of Drinks and a veteran strategist and analyst with deep experience building drinks portfolios. Most recently, he was the Portfolio Development Director at Distill Ventures. Prior to that, he was the Vice President of T. Edward Wines & Spirits, a New York-based importer and distributor.Scott Rosenbaum LinkedInCaroline Lamb, contributor: Caroline is a producer and on-air contributor at Business of Drinks and a key account sales and marketing specialist at AHD Vintners, a Michigan-based importer and distributor.Caroline Lamb LinkedInInstagram @borkalineIf you enjoyed today’s conversation, follow Business of Drinks wherever you’re listening, and don’t forget to rate and review us. Your support helps us reach new listeners passionate about the drinks industry. Thank you!

The beverage alcohol business is in a curve.That’s the phrase Matt Rice, founder and principal of Thirsty Insights, uses to describe the first half of 2026: a volatile, high-stakes moment where consolidation, consumer shifts, distributor disruption, and M&A are changing the race order in real time.In this episode, Matt joins Erica and Scott for a mid-year M&A update on the deals, category shifts, and distributor moves reshaping the drinks industry.We dig into the surge of activity across wine, spirits, RTDs, beer, and non-alc — from Gallo’s move to acquire Four Roses, to Molson Coors buying Atomic Brands, to The Wine Group stepping into non-alc cocktails with Saint Agrestis’ Phony Negroni line. Matt explains why buyers are still active, but far more disciplined, looking for growth vehicles, scarce assets, synergies, and route-to-market leverage.The conversation also tackles one of the biggest distributor shakeups in years: RNDC’s market exits, Reyes’ expansion beyond beer into wine and spirits, Martignetti’s move into control states, Columbia Distributing’s Oregon and Washington opportunity, and Southern Glazer’s continued push into beer-aligned assets.For emerging brands, the implications are significant. Matt explains why distributor attention can materially affect performance, why smaller suppliers have to be easier to sell, and why brands now need to show up with tighter market plans, better data, clear target accounts, and a willingness to do the hand-selling themselves.We also explore why independent RTD brands like BeatBox, Surfside, and Carbliss have outpaced many incumbent launches, why “born-in-category” brands often win, and why Matt would put a hypothetical $1 million angel investment into Wine 2.0 — not because wine is winning today, but because he believes the next cycle may reward those building for where the puck is going.For drinks entrepreneurs, this episode is a masterclass in how to think about M&A, distribution, category timing, investor signals, and the strategic discipline required to survive the curve — and come out stronger on the straightaway.For the latest updates, follow us:Business of Drinks website (sign up for our newsletter!)Business of Drinks YouTubeBusiness of Drinks LinkedInInstagram @bizofdrinksErica Duecy, co-host: Erica Duecy is founder and co-host of Business of Drinks and one of the drinks industry’s most accomplished digital and content strategists. She runs the consultancy and advisory arm of Business of Drinks and has built publishing and marketing programs for Drizly, VinePair, SevenFifty, and other hospitality and drinks tech companies.Erica Duecy LinkedInInstagram @ericaduecyScott Rosenbaum, co-host: Scott Rosenbaum is co-host of Business of Drinks and a veteran strategist and analyst with deep experience building drinks portfolios. Most recently, he was the Portfolio Development Director at Distill Ventures. Prior to that, he was the Vice President of T. Edward Wines & Spirits, a New York-based importer and distributor.Scott Rosenbaum LinkedInCaroline Lamb, contributor: Caroline is a producer and on-air contributor at Business of Drinks and a key account sales and marketing specialist at AHD Vintners, a Michigan-based importer and distributor.Caroline Lamb LinkedInInstagram @borkalineSubscribe to the Business of Drinks channel for more insights on how brands, retailers, and operators are unlocking growth across beverages. And please rate and review us. Your support helps us reach new listeners. Thank you!

The first mistake many drinks brands make when entering the U.S. market? Thinking that distributor procurement is the first big step.In reality, the importer layer is more significant than many realize. It’s where compliance, taxes, customs, cash flow, and route-to-market decisions collide, and where expensive missteps often trip brands up.In this episode of Business of Drinks, Scott Rosenbaum talks with Chelsea Andreozzi, founder of First Call Imports Consulting, about what it really takes to bring a wine or spirits brand into the U.S. market.Chelsea has spent 15 years across nearly every side of the bottle: Bartending, beverage directing, distilling, brand development, importing, and now consulting. Today, she helps wine and spirits brands, importers, and distributors build the systems they need to scale with more confidence.This conversation gets into the practical mechanics of importing: Federal permits, COLA approvals, FDA registrations, customs paperwork, CBMA tax credits, tariff refunds, brokers, and the details that determine whether a shipment clears smoothly or gets stuck at port.And the costs can add up quick. Chelsea has seen paperwork issues delay shipments for weeks, with fees climbing into the thousands — and in some cases, $25,000 on a single container.We also dig into why CBMA refunds can become a powerful cash-flow tool (IYKYK), what importers should be doing now to prepare for potential tariff refunds, where brokers fit into route-to-market strategy, and why self-distribution can be valuable early but rarely holds up as a long-term growth plan.The bigger lesson here is that import operations are not back-office housekeeping. For brands, they can be the difference between scaling with confidence and burning through time, money, and momentum before the first case ever sells.For the latest updates, follow us:Business of Drinks website (sign up for our newsletter!)Business of Drinks YouTubeBusiness of Drinks LinkedInInstagram @bizofdrinksErica Duecy, co-host: Erica Duecy is founder and co-host of Business of Drinks and one of the drinks industry’s most accomplished digital and content strategists. She runs the consultancy and advisory arm of Business of Drinks and has built publishing and marketing programs for Drizly, VinePair, SevenFifty, and other hospitality and drinks tech companies.Erica Duecy LinkedInInstagram @ericaduecyScott Rosenbaum, co-host: Scott Rosenbaum is co-host of Business of Drinks and a veteran strategist and analyst with deep experience building drinks portfolios. Most recently, he was the Portfolio Development Director at Distill Ventures. Prior to that, he was the Vice President of T. Edward Wines & Spirits, a New York-based importer and distributor.Scott Rosenbaum LinkedInCaroline Lamb, contributor: Caroline is a producer and on-air contributor at Business of Drinks and a key account sales and marketing specialist at AHD Vintners, a Michigan-based importer and distributor.Caroline Lamb LinkedInInstagram @borkalineIf you enjoyed today’s conversation, follow Business of Drinks wherever you’re listening, and don’t forget to rate and review us. Your support helps us reach new listeners passionate about the drinks industry. Thank you!

Control states can feel like one of the most confusing parts of the drinks business — even for experienced operators.They represent 17 states and roughly a quarter of U.S. spirits sales, but they don’t all work the same way. Some states own the retail stores. Some operate through agency stores. Some act more like wholesalers. Each model changes how brands need to think about listings, pricing, store count, broker relationships, data, cash flow, and growth.In this episode, we’re decoding the control state playbook with Ashley Glickman, Founder & CEO of Control States Consulting Partners. Ashley has worked across all 17 control markets, from brokerage and supplier roles to control board meetings, sales strategy, and data analysis. Today, she helps brands understand where they can win — and what they need to do before they enter.For founders and sales leaders, one of the biggest takeaways is that control states are not simply another version of open markets. You are entering a structured partnership, with defined expectations and performance metrics.Ashley explains why shipments don’t equal sales in bailment states, why velocity matters more than broad distribution, and why going into too many stores too early can hurt your brand. She also breaks down how to use state-level data, prepare for a control board pitch, and follow through after getting listed.The conversation also gets into the upside. Control states can create leverage: centralized buyers, consistent pricing, statewide marketing programs, auto-replenishment, and data that helps brands make better decisions faster.If you’ve ever looked at terms like bailment, agency stores, listings, control boards, or special orders and wondered what they mean for your business, this episode is for you.You’ll learn:- How retail, agency, and wholesale control states differ- Why velocity is the metric control boards care about most- How to avoid the cash-flow trap of bailment inventory- Why “more stores” is not always the right growth strategy- What a strong control board pitch needs to include- How brokers, suppliers, and state boards really work together- How to compete more effectively — and profitably — in control marketsFor the latest updates, follow us:Business of Drinks website (sign up for our newsletter!)Business of Drinks YouTubeBusiness of Drinks LinkedInInstagram @bizofdrinksErica Duecy, co-host: Erica Duecy is founder and co-host of Business of Drinks and one of the drinks industry’s most accomplished digital and content strategists. She runs the consultancy and advisory arm of Business of Drinks and has built publishing and marketing programs for Drizly, VinePair, SevenFifty, and other hospitality and drinks tech companies.Erica Duecy LinkedInInstagram @ericaduecyScott Rosenbaum, co-host: Scott Rosenbaum is co-host of Business of Drinks and a veteran strategist and analyst with deep experience building drinks portfolios. Most recently, he was the Portfolio Development Director at Distill Ventures. Prior to that, he was the Vice President of T. Edward Wines & Spirits, a New York-based importer and distributor.Scott Rosenbaum LinkedInCaroline Lamb, contributor: Caroline is a producer and on-air contributor at Business of Drinks and a key account sales and marketing specialist at AHD Vintners, a Michigan-based importer and distributor.Caroline Lamb LinkedInInstagram @borkalineIf you enjoyed today’s conversation, follow Business of Drinks wherever you’re listening, and don’t forget to rate and review us. Your support helps us reach new listeners passionate about the drinks industry. Thank you!