Exclusive: Kim Crawford Unveils “Illuminate” Range Of Low-Calorie Wines
Constellation Brands is looking to expand the consumption occasions for its New Zealand-based Kim Crawford wine brand with a new lower-calorie line of wines called Illuminate. The new range initially will include Sauvignon Blanc and Rosé offerings retailing at $18 a 750-ml. The Illuminate wines, which are at 7% abv and have 70 calories a glass, use “spinning cone” technology to reduce the alcohol from a portion of the base wine without impacting its aromas or flavor profile, according to the company.
Kim Crawford Illuminate is getting a soft launch this fall, ahead of a wider rollout next March. Winemaker Anthony Walkenhorst tells SND the new products are geared toward “health and wellness-oriented consumers” and “sessionable” daytime drinking occasions like brunch or back yard parties in which light beer and seltzer have held sway.
According to Impact Databank, Kim Crawford is the sixth-largest imported table wine brand in the U.S., having averaged 15% annual growth over the past decade to reach 1.37 million cases and a retail value of $275 million. With Illuminate, the Kiwi import is looking to fend off the emergent challenge from hard seltzer and raise its profile in the so-called “better for you” drinks category.