BREAKING: The country's biggest beer wholesaler is buying more markets off the country's (for-now) biggest wine/spirits wholesaler.
BREAKING: The country's biggest beer wholesaler is buying more markets off the country's (for-now) biggest wine/spirits wholesaler.
Brewery workers, bar owners, and union organizers in MSP are setting the mark on how to actually care for their community, rather than just invoke as a buzzword. At @vinepair.com, I reported how their work doubles as a playbook for colleagues nationwide whose homes may face MAGA sieges soon enough.
"which wines would sommeliers like to see less of in 2026?" An interesting take on the wine list and at first glance a controversial list. But read the article to get the whole picture and nuance. By @vinepair.com
Filed a quick newser for @vinepair.com with what we know. Note that while trade press has reported the statement from RBG, the memo from RNDC's Sachs is previously unreported. Will be updating this story throughout the day:
The country’s second-largest wine and spirits wholesaler will sell a portion of its national operation to the country’s largest beer distributor: Reyes Beverage Group. vinepair.com/booze-news/r...
I am reaching out to share an important update regarding our business. We have been taking steps to evaluate our business structure, prioritize operational excellence, and ensure the strength of our business. As part of these ongoing efforts, we have aligned with Reyes Beverage Group on key economic terms for them to acquire RNDC's operations in Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, South Carolina, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Upon completion of the transaction, Reyes plans to run the newly acquired businesses separately from their current operations. This transaction is the result of a thoughtful and extensive process and will support our goal of strengthening the business for the long term and supporting key existing relationships. While there are still a number of steps we need to finalize the deal, I hope that you join me in recognizing this positive development.
In the meantime, it is business as usual. We are continuing to operate as we have been, and we ask that you remain focused on your responsibilities and keep up the great work you do every day. We are committed to being as transparent as possible and will provide additional updates as we move forward. If you have additional inquiries about this news, I encourage you to speak directly with your manager or local leadership. Open, direct conversations are the best way to get clarity and context. I wanted to take a moment to thank you all for your hard work and dedication. You are the cornerstone of RNDC and we appreciate what you do every day. Let's keep up the good work. Sincerely, Marc Sachs
NEW: I have obtained an internal memo from RNDC's new prez/CEO stating that Reyes Bev Group (US' largest beer distro) has agreed to acquire RNDC in 7 markets. Trade press this morning reported RBG spox saying it was in "active discussions" for such a deal; RNDC memo suggests it's happening. More TK.
Cutwater's triple-digit sales growth in 2025 wasn't strictly due to the TikTok trend of housing/getting housed by a 4pk of the stuff and filming the results. But that didn't hurt! At @vinepair.com I laid out the needle A-B has been threading to cash in on heavy users without marketing heavy use.
@dinfontay.com recounts what are, in his opinion, the most important storylines and turning points for the beer industry in 2025.
My father, Nick Infante, adored the American beer business. A week ago, he passed away. My column today at @vinepair.com is a tribute to his lifelong passion for the trade, and a challenge to its leaders to hold close all that makes it unique.
🍻 Even in a challenging year, brewers pushed forward to open impressive new breweries in 2025. Here are 26 of the best, according to the pros.
In a country dominated by artificially carbonated keg beer, cask ale can be challenging to serve well. These breweries are pulling it off. vinepair.com/articles/bre...
Czech brewers are making low-alcohol beers that are complex, rich, and fun to drink, offering a blueprint for other brewers to do the same.
VOS Selections, the lead plaintiff on this suit, is a ~4-decade family-owned wine/spirits importer out of NY. As the owner told @vinepair.com after the initial win in the Court of International Trade in late May: "When they asked me to be lead plaintiff, I thought ‘Somebody needs to step up.’"
Chardonnay remains the most celebrated white variety in the world, but what cult whites do collectors seek out outside of the grape?
From classic Provence expressions to thought-provoking bottles from the Finger Lakes, here are the best rosés under $25.
Bapple's comeback boomed, but ABI has once again stopped shipping the brand—leaving competitors an angle on the national thirst for apple-flavored beers. At @vinepair.com I evaluated the macrobrewer's scarcity strategy in context of another LTO gambit: McDonald's infamously successful hog arbitrage.
Busch Light Apple's return to shelves this year has been nothing short of triumphant, begging the question: Why isn't it around year-round?
Prosecco is famous for its fizz, yet, much to the confusion of everyone, the confounding era of bubble-free Prosecco is here.
🤯 Hop-ocalypse Now Everything is relative. For example, the data are in on tax paid beer shipments for June 2025, and according to analysis from the Beer Institute, they’re up 0.3 percent year over year. To the untrained ear, a mere 30 basis points may not sound so hot. It isn’t when compared to, say, a decade ago, when the category’s growth was double that figure. But as the trade group’s chief economist Andrew Heritage noted in a statement to Brewbound, the slight increase marks the “strongest growth” on a monthly basis so far this year. And get this: Removals for Q2 “only” declined at about half the rate they did in Q1! Good news is just a matter of perspective, when you think about it.
And your Hop-ocalypse Now from the latest @vinepair.com Hop Take 🤯: vinepair.com/articles/hop...
The THC drinks category is undeniably exploding, but can the growth predictions actually hold up? If it's going to happen, now is the time.
With the cocktail renaissance well into its third decade, it's time to step back and consider the greatest bar teams of all time.
Currently, three of the top five breweries in the United States aren't breweries at all, they're meaderies.
🎧 It's always a treat to join The @vinepair.com Podcast to talk about my recent coverage. In this episode, I recapped the state of play for the hemp-beverage business and my reporting at the Hemp Beverage Alliance's 2025 Hemp Beverage Expo: pod.link/1402310626/e...
(clip via @zgeballe.bsky.social!)
What can today's distillers learn from the last bourbon bust? I try to answer that question, with the help of some folks who actually lived through it (ahem Eddie Russell) in my latest article for @vinepair.com vinepair.com/articles/bou...
The first beer can was sold in 1935, and from that point forward breweries and manufacturers have revolutionized its form.
having gotten a sneak preview of @timmckirdy.bsky.social's new mezcal miniseries for @vinepair.com i can't emphasize enough how stoked i am for the show
Digital artwork created for "Mezcal's Untold Past, Soaring Present, and Fragile Future, Part 2," a new mezcal-focused documentary for VinePair's Cocktail College podcast. It depicts a Mexican man, a farmer and/or mezcalero, walking through a conceptual space showing Oaxacan magueys (the regional term for agave plants), as well as a clay pot used for distilling.
Part 2 of Cocktail College's new series on traditional mezcal!
Mezcal's taste as we know today was shaped by prohibitions, corruption, and outside meddling...and all more recently than you think. Listen for yourself.
open.spotify.com/episode/4faV... @vinepair.com @timmckirdy.bsky.social
The period from Memorial Day to Labor Day is traditionally the most important season for selling beer. There are all sorts of exceptions to this rule, but as I wrote this week at @vinepair.com, none are big enough to offset what’s shaping up to be another rough summer for the American beer business.
The bourbon industry is looking at some tough times right now. How can distillers learn from the sector's last big bust?
The Bull City has become the site of a most unusual monthly bar brawl known as Giant Robot Fight Club, the first of which was held in December 2024. vinepair.com/articles/dur...