Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/718029
September 2016 WINES&VINES 35 FINANCE There is some small downward pricing pressure due to increased competition by banks and the general positive overall health of the wine sector, and there ap- pears to be more than adequate credit available for the industry. Not only are current wine lenders relatively aggressive, but new lenders have entered the market in 2016 looking to take market share away from the established bank lending group. How has the debt market for the wine industry been in the past year? JH: Competitive. WB: (The) debt market is active and com- petitive. As long as rates continue at these low rates, it allows and encourages wineries to expand facilities, build brands and con- sider acquisitions. MB: Debt is definitely available for high- quality companies. Still, the market can be pretty chilly for wineries that have not been strong performers. AB: The debt market has been strong and is getting stronger. The aggressive pricing that's available makes this a very good time for borrowers. How has the equity/ investment/buyout market for the wine industry been in the past year? MB: Sizzling. It is literally hard to keep track of all the recent transactions. WB: We are seeing the roll up of the indus- try by the likes of Gallo, Constellation Brands and Chateau Ste. Michelle as well as others. In particular, the likes of Gallo and The Wine Group are up-tiering their portfo- lios with significantly higher priced brands versus their traditional portfolios. Also, "gap price" filling is active by several wineries as they attempt to build out a broader range of brand price points. The industry's hot spot growth area today is in the $15-$25 range. Also, there continues to be somewhat ex- "WILLINGNESS TO LEND, IN TERMS OF FLEXIBILITY OF STRUCTURE AND AGGRESSIVE- NESS IN PRICING, ARE ALL AT HISTORIC HIGHS, PARTICULARLY FOR QUALITY OPERATIONS." Mark Brody, Umpqua Bank w i n e s a n d v i n e s . c o m MARKET DATA AND ANALYSIS Wineries DtC Shipments Off-Premise Sales Flash Sales WINES VINES ANALYTICS Market Research for Wineries and Suppliers Flash Sales Offers Climb Higher in November The Flash Report Complete flash data is available at winesandvines.com/flash FLASH DISCOUNTS FOR A SAMPLE OF PACIFIC NORTHWEST WINES OFFERED IN NOVEMBER Discount Winery/Brand Region State Varietal Vintage Winery Retail Flash Price Winery Size in Cases Flash Site 18% Long Shadows Vintners Columbia Valley WA Merlot 2012 $62.99 $51.65 30,000 Underground Cellar 38% Northstar Columbia Valley WA Merlot 2009 $40.00 $24.99 30,000 WineShopper 40% Eyrie Vineyards Willamette Valley OR Pinot Gris 2012 $49.99 $29.99 10,000 Last Call Wines 40% Sokol Blosser Winery Dundee Hills OR Pinot Noir 2012 $53.75 $32.50 70,000 Rue La La 44% Goose Ridge Estate Vineyard and Winery Columbia Valley WA Merlot 2008 $36.00 $20.00 300,000 Wine Woot 50% Naked Winery Rogue Valley OR Muscat 2013 $30.00 $15.00 19,000 Wine Woot 58% Emerson Vineyards Willamette Valley OR Pinot Noir 2010 $39.99 $16.99 3,500 Last Call Wines 64% Precept Wine Brands/Primarius Willamette Valley WA Pinot Noir 2012 $50.00 $17.99 680,000 Wines Til Sold Out METRICS 14 WINES&VINES January 2015 T he total number of off ers for domestic wines in November was 4% higher than a year ago, bringing to an end a two- month trend of slightly lower off er totals. Flash websites made a total of 576 off ers and were led by Last Call Wines, which had 113. Wired for Wine, which averages 35 off ers per month held a special event that resulted in 106 off ers for domestic wine and also helped drive the monthly total higher. In 2012 and 2013, the total number of offers in November and December were higher than in previous months of those years. December 2013's total of 722 offers was the highest of that year and has been unsurpassed in 2014. During the past 12 months ending in November 2014, the total offers per month also spiked in May (610 offers), August (601) and November (578). Each of these month's totals were either 100 offers higher than the 12-month average of 500 or close to that level. A higher number of offers by Invino pushed the total higher in three of those months. In November, Invino had just 67 offers, and the higher total can be attributed to Wired for Wine and Last Call Wines. By wine type, the breakdown of offers has stayed relatively the same since Wines Vines Analytics first started tracking flash offers. Cab- ernet Sauvignon is the most popular followed by Pinot Noir. Chardonnay and red blends have occasionally switched the third place position but always remain well ahead of Zinfandel and other varietal wines. In the "all other" category Sau- vignon Blanc accounted for 112 of the 664 offers followed by Petite Sirah's 77. While white Zin- fandel may still account for a sizeable share of off-premise retail shelves, flash sites made only one offer for the wine type in the past 12 months. —Andrew Adams FLASH SITES COMPARED FOR NOVEMBER Flash Reseller Number of Domestic Offers Average Flash Price (750ml) Average Discount Page views* Cinderella Wine 13 $40.17 28% 35,000 Invino 67 $25.39 40% 234,000 Last Bottle Wines 22 $25.36 40% 258,000 Last Call Wines 113 $22.26 48% 9,000 Lot18 42 $19.75 34% 654,000 The Wine Spies 35 $27.20 32% 43,000 Wine Woot 53 $18.48 45% 854,000 Wines Til Sold Out 55 $21.72 50% 862,000 WineShopper 23 $18.42 41% 68,000 Source: Wines Vines Analytics, winesandvines.com/flash *Source: Compete.com, November 2014 TOTAL FLASH OFFERS BY MONTH TOTAL DOMESTIC FLASH OFFERS BY VARIETAL Source: Wines Vines Analytics, winesandvines.com/fl ash 20 leading Flash sites, 12 months ending Nov. 2014 Source: Wines Vines Analytics, winesandvines.com/fl ash 1,500 1,200 900 600 300 0 Cabernet Pinot Char- Red Zin- Sauvignon Syrah Merlot All Sauvignon Noir donnay Blends fandel Blanc Others 800 700 600 500 400 300 Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov 491 1,481 1,203 818 764 298 200 193 664 2014