WEST DES MOINES, Iowa -- Kum & Go LC has added Napa Creek Cabernet Sauvignon and Sea Ridge Merlot wines to its roster of private-label offerings. They are the first two wines first private-label wines offered by the retailer, spokesperson Tara Deering-Hansen told CSP Daily News.
The wines are sold exclusively at participating Kum & Go stores. The chain set out last year to provide its customers with a high-quality wine at a great value and at their convenience. It turned to Charles Shaw, an American brand well known in the industry for creating good-tasting wine at a low price.[image-nocss]
The Charles Shaw label is owned by the Bronco Wine Co., Ceres, Calif., and all of its wines—informally known as "Two-Buck Chuck" in the industry because of the low retail price point on some of its bottles—come from California vineyards. Bronco Wine is able to provide extreme value to its distributors and customers by taking advantage of the overplanting of wine grapes in California in the 1990s and by also growing huge quantities of its own grapes at low cost.
In partnering with Charles Shaw and creating its own private-label wines, Kum & Go can pass along even more cost-savings to its customers, it said. Kum & Go keeps the value of the wine in the bottle, not in the middleman, and can offer the wine at an unbeatable value to customers. For example, the Napa Creek Cabernet Sauvignon sells in Kum & Go stores for just under $15 and the Sea Ridge Merlot is available for less than $7. Customers can purchase the new wine varieties at participating Kum & Go stores in Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska.
The Napa Creek Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 85% of grapes harvested from the famous Napa Valley region of California. The cabernet's mellow flavor blends with the appealing fruit tones of Merlot, making it one of the most popular red wine varieties in the country, said Kum & Go.
From the shallow, blue waters of Bodega Bay, Calif., the Sea Ridge Merlot features palatable hints of fresh berry fruit and plums. The Sea Ridge winery has produced a wine at the top of its class. In 2003, the San Francisco Chronicle named the 2001 Sea Ridge California Merlot one of its Top 100 wines, stating it was a "steal" at its retail price "thanks to the agreeably soft texture and ripe, black cherry, plum, blackberry and prune flavors."
The Charles Shaw brand and the wines it produces, including Napa Creek and Sea Ridge, is an example of a recent American trend of economy-minded wine drinkers seeking quality for the greatest value. In particular, the brand stands out not only for its low cost, but also for the respectable packaging and high-ratings at wine tasting events.
Deering-Hansen said that the company has no immediate plans to bring out additional labels of wine.
Wes Des Moines, Iowa-based Kum & has more than 430 convenience stores in 12 states (Iowa, Arkansas, Colorado, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wyoming and Wisconsin). In addition to a wide selection of products, Kum & Go provides customers a proprietary mix of products under the Hiland brand name. Other proprietary product offerings include Java Ridge Premium Coffee, and Go Fresh Market sandwiches.
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