CUTCHOGUE, NY – July 25, 2017 – Lieb Cellars, a leading NY winery located on the North Fork of Long Island, announced today the introduction of canned wine under their Bridge Lane label. Known for breaking tradition and embracing “alternative” wine packaging, putting wine in cans was a natural next step for the innovative wine company which was the first NY winery to launch 3L premium box wine and 20L disposable keg wine in 2014.
“Our Lieb Cellars reserve line is our anchor and will always be about crafting the best possible, elegant, age-worthy wines from our estate vineyards,” says Lieb Cellars’ General Manager, Ami Opisso. “Our second label, Bridge Lane, is a about making fresh, fruit-forward wines and saying – how can we have some fun and offer value? As young, casual consumers, what and how do we want to drink wine?”
Last year Lieb’s team started thinking about canned wine. “We live near the beach and bunch of us have or know people who have boats. We were excited about the idea of throwing some Bridge Lane cans in a cooler next to Greenport Harbor Summer Ales and not having to worry about glass bottles or even cups” states Opisso.
Their success with box wine and keg wine gave them the confidence pursue cans. Making the decision to produce box wine and disposable keg wine was a risk for Lieb. None of their neighbors were doing them and they knew there was a chance that consumers, trade buyers and the press could think they were a joke. But the exact opposite happened. “Once they tasted and realized the wine was unexpectedly good, well-priced and super convenient, they ‘got’ it,” says Opisso.
In 2014 Lieb Cellars sold 900 3L boxes in NY only. This year Lieb is expected to sell 11,000 across 10 states in the US.
This week they canned a limited amount of dry Rosé only. They’ll make it available to their Bridge Lane wine club first and then release it in their tasting room. The small “test batch” will allow them to do some lab testing and work through any kinks before executing a full roll-out of all 5 Bridge Lane wines across their distributor states early next year. Opisso explains, “Since wine in can is relatively new, especially on the East Coast, we want to make sure we do it right and make any necessary tweaks before a full launch.”
Their canned wine will retail in their tasting room for $9.00 for 375ML (which equates to half of standard 750ML bottle of wine or 2 large glass pours) and will sell as singles or 4-packs.
“We didn’t want small, dainty cans,” Opisso concludes. “Bridge Lane isn’t dainty. Bridge Lane is about hanging out with friends and throwing back some good, refreshing wine.”
Tasting Room Information:
Bridge Lane Wine Tasting Room
35 Cox Neck Road
Mattituck, NY 11952
631-298-1942
About Lieb Cellars: Founded in 1992, Lieb Cellars is an 85-acre sustainably farmed vineyard and winery located on the North Fork of Long Island, 80 miles east of New York City. The company produces hand-crafted estate grown wines under the Lieb Cellars label and fresh, fruit-driven wines under their (second) Bridge Lane label. Pinot Blanc is their signature wine and has been called “excellent” by the New York Times. The Bridge Lane series is offered in “alternative” formats – 3L boxes and 20L disposable kegs, both “firsts” for New York. Lieb has two tasting rooms on the North Fork of Long Island and their wines are distributed in 10 states on the East Coast of the US. For more information, visit www.liebcellars.com and www.bridgelanewine.com.
