Though Newman's Own Wine seems a little steep at $16 a bottle for wine that isn't even handled by Mr. Newman. My price point is still stuck at $10 a bottle - any more and it better be either a special occasion, or a spectacular wine.
CHICAGO (AdAge.com) -- Newman's Own has a new kind of sauce with which to pour on the competition: California wine.
"We have come full circle," actor and philanthropist Paul Newman said in a press release. "We are back to wine bottles but this time we are filling them with a wine that will complement my salad dressing and pasta sauce. Wine was the only thing missing at dinner time. Now the meal is complete."
The Westport, Conn.-based food company has joined forces with Rebel Wine Co., a St. Helena, Calif., joint venture between Three Thieves and Trinchero Family Estates. The wine will hit store shelves in March, at $16 per bottle. As usual, the profits and royalties after taxes will be donated to educational and charitable organizations.
[From Wine Is Newest Offering From Newman's Own]
When Newman first started selling salad dressing, there wasn't a lot of organic/natural products on supermarket shelves, now the competition is fierce. Good luck to him though.
[Arthur] Shapiro [a wine and spirits industry consultant and former Seagram's executive] said that the price could be an issue.
"I'm not sure they can get $16," he said. "What's so special about it other than the name and the charities associated with it? I'm not sure that's good enough for consumers without another unique selling proposition associated with it."
[snip]
Newman's Own has donated more than $200 million to various charities since it was founded in 1982. Among Mr. Newman's charities is the Hole in the Wall Gang, a three-season camp for children with cancer and serious blood diseases. The company, which got started selling salad dressings in antique glass bottles covered in parchment paper, now has 100 types of all-natural food and beverage products, including pasta sauce, salsa, marinades, cookies, lemonade, popcorn and pet food.
In recent years, the company has become increasingly focused on organics, and snagged coveted shelf space in high-priced natural and organic groceries.
