As Skinnygirl wine gears up for a major ad campaign in the US, Rebecca Gibb offers some context.
The year is 1981. Californian wine producer Paul Masson releases Masson Light; Taylor California Cellars launch Light Chablis; and Beringer’s new low-alcohol Chablis hits the shelves. An article in “New York” magazine covers the growing trend towards wines aimed at calorie-conscious consumers who buy light beer, diet soft drinks and bottled water.
Fast-forward 30 years and the “new” low-alcohol, low-calorie buzz in the wine industry is loud enough to cause tinnitus. A spate of these products has appeared in the past three years, including Skinnygirl, which has jumped from pre-mixed drinks into wine.
The Skinnygirl brand is the brainchild of Bethenny Frankel, a member of the original “Real Housewives of New York City” line-up. She morphed from reality TV star into a self-described “healthy-living entrepreneur,” releasing the first in a range of Skinnygirl pre-mixed drinks in 2009. Bartenders scoffed: what did Frankel know about margaritas other than how to drink them?
But Frankel had the last laugh. In 2010, she sold 90,000 cases of margarita (sangria and white cranberry cosmo were later added to the range) and in March 2011, the brand was bought by spirits giant Beam for $8.1 million. The company’s quarterly report in August 2011 said Frankel herself was in line to receive up to $25 million, based on “the achievement of certain sales targets.”
