No Rules: Diageo Takes Stark Raving Approach to Expanding Wine Brands

Discard those images of snobby wine sophisticates who, like the wines they drink, are ripened with age. These days, wine makers are seeking out a new youthful market: Millennials and Gen Xers who want to break with tradition and drink wine much as they might craft beer.

That explains the three new wine brands coming to the U.S. from Diageo: Stark Raving, Butterfly Kiss, and Rose'N'Blum. Each of the three brands has its own quirky positioning with the young drinker clearly in mind.

"We realize the younger wine drinkers are far less influenced by wine traditions and 'rules,' " says Greg Kryder, president of Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines.

"We have a large population of wine buyers that turned 21 after the Millennium, they grew up with wine as part of their families' lifestyle, and they are fearless in their selections. ... We aim to create wines that fire that enthusiasm and satisfy that curiosity."

Stark Raving is perhaps the edgiest of the three new brands, inspired by the idea of "going rogue," according to Diageo. The company says the line is based on the "belief that experimentation, unusual blends and sourcing, and a little touch of madness can lead to crazy good wines."Continue reading...