Letter from Porto: Sogrape and the Future of US Wine Data for International Brands

Earlier this week I was privileged to speak at "The Road to Uniqueness: Sogrape Conference '23" in Porto, Portugal, a very intentional and dedicated opportunity to discuss the major trends and objectives that will steer Sogrape, a family-owned and Portugal's leading wine company with a strong international presence, into the future.

It felt like living in the very near future of how relevant US wine data will be (or already is) for international brands.

I was both grateful and curious about being there. Grateful that WIN World, the conference organizers, invited me to speak alongside Damien Lafurie, CEO of Piper-Heidsieck Champagne, and Andy Veitch, Managing Director of BCG in London. And curious, too, about contributing to the conversation around data analytics for Sogrape and the role they will play in their premiumization efforts moving forward.

"This year our Sogrape Conference, themed 'The Road to Uniqueness,' stood as a testament to our unwavering dedication to premiumization," said Raquel Seabra, Executive Board Member. "It was a day brimming with inspiration and invaluable insights, paving the way for our continued journey towards excellence. The wealth of ideas, tools and real case studies exchanged among us are a testament to our collective drive for innovation, distinction and the continued success of Sogrape.

"On behalf of Sogrape, I extend my deepest gratitude to Cathy Huyghe for gracing us with her presence as a guest speaker. Her invaluable contribution in sharing trends and insights in the wine industry, backed by objective data and insightful concepts, has undoubtedly opened new horizons for all of us."

As data analytics for the wine and spirits industry continues to mature, so too do the opportunities for both the Direct To Consumer (DTC) channel and the wholesale channel, for both domestic and international brands. DTC is still primarily the realm for US-based brands, but no longer exclusively so. (See last week's article by Alex Koral for the most recent updates on that front.) And international brands have long desired more visibility into the movement and placement of their wines within the three-tier system once they enter the US market; Enolytics' partnership with VIP addresses this desire to visualize depletion data and anticipate future sales on- and off-premise.

It's a brave new world, and Sogrape knows it.

So do we.

Let's get there, together.

Thank you, as always, for reading. Also as always, please be in touch with any thoughts or questions.
Cathy