Sometimes a winemaker hits that magic mix of quality, drinkability and price that makes a particular wine a household name. But more often, it’s great marketing that puts a wine on shopping lists everywhere.
(Hello, Whispering Angel.)
To see which wines are resonating with Chattanooga buyers, we looked at the best-selling wines at six area Publix grocery stores from Ooltewah to Ringgold, Georgia, and asked local wine stores what Scenic City wine-lovers are uncorking these days.
What we found is that tastes can vary depending on the area of town.
An overall thirst for dry
What about red?
Meiomi Pinot Noir takes the prize for most popular medium-bodied red in the U.S. on Wine.com, and it’s among the best-sellers at Imbibe and Chattanooga-area Publix stores as well. “It tastes more like a syrah,” Carter says of the “luscious, juicy” pinot noir.Apothic Winemaker’s Blend, Apothic Red — a sweet, medium-bodied red blend — is the city’s top wine for grocery store buyers, and the only wine among the top 10 best-sellers at all six area Publix locations. Carter says this wine has introduced many drinkers to the red blends that are currently trending.
The best-selling wines at Riverside Wine and Spirits over the past year have included dry rosés from France such as Peyrassol. Also popular is Sancerre from France’s Loire Valley, such as Chateau du Nozay, says Alison Matera, general manager of the North Chattanooga package store.
Rosé wines also continue to be popular at Imbibe, says Josh Carter, who owns the Southside store as well as St. John’s Restaurant downtown. Whispering Angel, a light and fruity French rosé in a highly photogenic – and photographed – bottle, is often credited with starting the international rosé trend and typically serves as a jumping off point for trying other rosés, he says. Another brand with a beautiful bottle that tends to inspire more loyalty is Gerard Bertrand Cotes des Roses Languedoc Rosé. “They didn’t need to be clever with marketing, because it’s a really great wine,” Carter says.
Grocery store wine shoppers are also mostly reaching for light, dry wines, especially in the suburban areas of Chattanooga, though East Brainerd and Hixson shoppers seem to prefer light, fruity whites over rosés. Pinot grigio from Cavit Collection and Bota Box are most likely to fill the carts of wine drinkers in Hixson, while chardonnay such as Chateau Ste. Michelle’s is selling well in East Brainerd.
The popularity of sweet wines such as white zinfandel, riesling and moscato seems to correspond with one’s distance to downtown, with preferences getting sweeter the farther away you get. While you won’t find any of the aforementioned sweet varieties among the best-sellers in North Chattanooga, they’re among the top 10 wines in Ringgold and Ooltewah.
What’s next?
Canned wine, like Underwood Sparkling Rosé, is gaining ground here. “More and more unique producers are going to cans,” Carter says, adding that they’re using really good grapes and putting wines they care about in cans, affirming the trend.
A dry wine that Chattanooga-area residents do agree on – along with the rest of America’s wine drinkers – is La Marca, an extra-dry prosecco with a crisp, clean taste that’s a best-seller across Chattanooga and, more broadly, the United States. The bottle’s pretty light-blue label and silver foil-covered cork give it a luxe, stylish look that sets it apart from other inexpensive sparkling wines, making it an attractive addition to your brunch spread. Carter says La Marca is by far the best-selling prosecco at Imbibe, with Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label claiming the top spot for true Champagne, and Tott’s filling the carts of party-throwers looking for inexpensive bubbly.
Kendall Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay, a full-bodied white with tropical flavors and notes of citrus, is another Chattanooga best-seller that enjoys nationwide popularity.
“Pinot grigio is still a big gun in white wine,” says Carter, adding that Santa Margherita is a popular pinot grigio with Imbibe’s customers.
Best-selling wines at area Publix stores
North Chattanooga
1. La Marca Prosecco Sparkling Wine
2. Apothic Winemaker’s Blend, Apothic Red
3. Andre Signature Collection Champagne, Brut
4. Bota Box Pinot Grigio
5. Bota Box Cabernet Sauvignon
Ringgold
1. Beringer Pinot Grigio
2. Chateau Ste. Michelle Chardonnay
3. Kendall Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay
4. Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi Chardonnay
5. Meiomi Pinot Noir
East Brainerd (Hurricane Creek and Village at Waterside stores)
1. Korbel Brut Champagne
2. Apothic Winemaker’s Blend, Apothic Red
3. La Marca Prosecco Sparkling Wine
4. Vendange Pinot Grigio
5. Korbel Extra Dry Champagne
Ooltewah
1. La Marca Prosecco Sparkling Wine
2. Korbel Brut Champagne
3. Beringer White Zinfandel
4. Roscato Sweet Red
5. Apothic Winemaker’s Blend, Apothic Red
Hixson
1. Korbel Brut Champagne
2. La Marca Prosecco Sparkling Wine
3. Apothic Winemaker’s Blend, Apothic Red
4. Beringer White Zinfandel
5. Cavit Collection Pinot Grigio