Trinchero Family Wine & Spirits is the latest US wine group to take on sales and marketing responsibilities for Libby Beverage Co’s namesake alcohol-free wine brand in the country.
The California-based Fre no-alcohol wine brand owner said late last week that it will handle Libby’s de–alcoholised sparkling rosé and white blends domestically. The tie-up comes around two-and-a-half years after Libby parted with Don Sebastiani & Sons after about 18 months together on the US sales and distribution side.
Also based in California, Libby was founded by winemaker Grant Hemingway and “beverage entrepreneur” John Green, initially comprising two 7%-ABV SKUs (above). Speaking to Global Drinks Intel, however, a Trinchero spokesperson said the business replaced the lower-ABV wines with its current non-alcoholic pair in late 2024.
“Partnering with Trinchero gives us the scale and expertise to take Libby to the national stage while continuing to elevate what consumers expect from non-alcoholic wine,” said Hemingway. “Together, we see a real opportunity to help shape the next generation of the category.”
Speaking exclusively to Global Drinks Intel earlier this year, Trinchero COO Corey Beck claimed that Fre is the market leader for alcohol-free wine in the US, with annual sales of around 400,000 cases. “Back in 1992, they (Trinchero) bought a de-alcoholisation unit and started making alcohol-free wine,” Beck said. “The biggest problem had been that there was no category for non-alc. We were on our own, really, in this little space.
“We kept at it and as the category has grown, we had the quality aspect established. That’s what we feel has got Fre to be the largest in the US.”
