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English
French
- Chris Boiling
- 2025-03-11
A custom sparkling wine producer in the USA has created a new sparkling wine category. California’s Rack & Riddle says it developed a Prosecco-style wine, called Calsecco, to drive growth and attract 21+ Gen Z and Millennial consumers to premium California sparkling wine.
“Calsecco represents a new generation of sparkling wine – deeply rooted in tradition yet distinctly Californian. The winemaking legacy of California has proven its place among the world’s great wines. While we have excelled in still wines and méthode champenoise sparkling wines, the premium category for wines crafted in the Italian method remains untapped,” said general manager Mark Garaventa (below).
He continued: “We have the right climate and terroir here in California to grow the finest sparkling wine grapes in the world. Consumers are thirsty for modern, fruit-forward wines, making the US market perfectly primed for Calsecco. Rack & Riddle has exclusively registered this trademark for use by our clients. Calsecco is grown and crafted in California and made in the Venetian tradition.”
Rack & Riddle has produced the first blend with grapes sourced from vineyards in California during the 2024 vintage. The grapes include Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Chenin Blanc, French Colombard and Pinot Grigio. Garaventa says the grapes were grown and harvested with sparkling wine production in mind. “Then our winemaking team worked to get the right balance of freshness and acidity to this style,” he says.
“This blend was finalised just a few weeks ago and previewed to winery clients. We are launching Calsecco with two regional retail chains in the fall of 2025. We are simultaneously presenting to key winery clients and anticipate being in market late summer to early fall 2025.”
When Canopy asked him how many clients are currently working to produce a Calsecco, he replied: “All of our client and customer conversations are confidential, and we just started presenting the new blend a couple of weeks ago, so we can’t release this information at this time. We can say that winery clients are currently placing purchase orders for this new product.”
He added: “Our clients will announce the release of their wines and our partnership with them once all details are finalised.”
He did, however, reveal that the reaction to the 10.5% ABV wine has been positive, stating: “The reaction to wine style, messaging and branding have been very positive. $13-$18 Prosecco wines now make up 39% of the sparkling wine sold in the US, and shipments for this segment grew 17% in 2024. The popularity of this accessible style and price point is why we crafted a distinctive California expression perfect for the American sparkling wine consumer, especially younger Gen Z and Millennials.”
He continued: “This gives consumers an opportunity to Buy American, which will support the California wine industry and the overall economy. Shopping more locally is becoming an important consumer value. Plus, consumers love trying new wines, and sparkling wines continue to rise in popularity, so this is a great time to promote the quality and variety of premium California sparkling wines in all styles!”
The US is a major export market for Italian wine, valued at around €1.9bn annually and buying up almost a quarter (24%) of all Italian wine exports. For several Italian wines, including Prosecco and Brunello di Montalcino, the US is easily the biggest international market. In the case of Prosecco, US importers have been stockpiling bottles. Data from the UIV revealed a 41% surge in US imports of Italian sparkling wine in November 2024, as importers sought to hedge against potential tariff-induced disruptions.
Canopy suggested to Garaventa that the timing of Calsecco’s launch is fortuitous. He replied: “Rack & Riddle has been working on Calsecco since 2022, so we have been focused on creating the highest quality sparkling wine, in the right style, at the right price point, so that it will be a compelling offering regardless of any changes that may occur with tariffs.”
Rack & Riddle executive director of winemaking Manveer Sandhu explained the background to the development: “Our winemaking team visited leading Italian Prosecco houses in 2022 and came back so inspired. We loved the fresh, vibrant style we experienced there, and decided to employ that winemaking method in California to create our own expression. Calsecco, intentionally local, is made from 100% California-grown and vinted grapes. As a winemaker, this is exciting, as we have created an entirely new category of US sparkling wine.”
In the USA, market demand for sparkling wine has remained steady:
“Making Calsecco is a natural step in Rack & Riddle’s expanded services and a reflection of the innovation on which the company was founded and has operated since it was founded in 2007 (by wine industry veterans Rebecca Faust and Bruce Lundquist),” Sandhu continued. “We have invested in the finest equipment, facilities and winemakers to bring this new wine category to market. Our team brings more than one hundred years of combined winemaking experience, and our commitment to the highest quality possible at every step in the process is unparalleled.”
Rack & Riddle has the capacity to produce 3.5 million cases of wine annually. It has four modern wineries located in Healdsburg, Alexander Valley, Geyserville and Lodi that specialise in sparkling wine production. Tank sizes range from 500 to 100,000 gallons.
In 2025, Rack & Riddle will also offer no/low-alcohol production through an exclusive agreement with the Solos patented Aroma Recovery System.
This prompted Canopy to ask whether a no/low-alcohol Calsecco is on the cards. Garaventa told us: “Our Calsecco blend is naturally lower in alcohol, coming in at 10.5%. We are always looking for ways to naturally lower alcohol in accordance with consumer preferences, while maintaining our distinctive California style. We would, of course, want to establish this new category before line extending into the NOLO space through the use of de-alcolisation technology with our partner Solos.”
“Calsecco represents a new generation of sparkling wine – deeply rooted in tradition yet distinctly Californian. The winemaking legacy of California has proven its place among the world’s great wines. While we have excelled in still wines and méthode champenoise sparkling wines, the premium category for wines crafted in the Italian method remains untapped,” said general manager Mark Garaventa (below).
He continued: “We have the right climate and terroir here in California to grow the finest sparkling wine grapes in the world. Consumers are thirsty for modern, fruit-forward wines, making the US market perfectly primed for Calsecco. Rack & Riddle has exclusively registered this trademark for use by our clients. Calsecco is grown and crafted in California and made in the Venetian tradition.”
Rack & Riddle has produced the first blend with grapes sourced from vineyards in California during the 2024 vintage. The grapes include Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Chenin Blanc, French Colombard and Pinot Grigio. Garaventa says the grapes were grown and harvested with sparkling wine production in mind. “Then our winemaking team worked to get the right balance of freshness and acidity to this style,” he says.
“This blend was finalised just a few weeks ago and previewed to winery clients. We are launching Calsecco with two regional retail chains in the fall of 2025. We are simultaneously presenting to key winery clients and anticipate being in market late summer to early fall 2025.”
When Canopy asked him how many clients are currently working to produce a Calsecco, he replied: “All of our client and customer conversations are confidential, and we just started presenting the new blend a couple of weeks ago, so we can’t release this information at this time. We can say that winery clients are currently placing purchase orders for this new product.”
He added: “Our clients will announce the release of their wines and our partnership with them once all details are finalised.”
He did, however, reveal that the reaction to the 10.5% ABV wine has been positive, stating: “The reaction to wine style, messaging and branding have been very positive. $13-$18 Prosecco wines now make up 39% of the sparkling wine sold in the US, and shipments for this segment grew 17% in 2024. The popularity of this accessible style and price point is why we crafted a distinctive California expression perfect for the American sparkling wine consumer, especially younger Gen Z and Millennials.”
He continued: “This gives consumers an opportunity to Buy American, which will support the California wine industry and the overall economy. Shopping more locally is becoming an important consumer value. Plus, consumers love trying new wines, and sparkling wines continue to rise in popularity, so this is a great time to promote the quality and variety of premium California sparkling wines in all styles!”
Great timing?
The launch of Calsecco coincides with a period of significant volatility in international trade relations. In February 2025, President Donald Trump threatened 25% tariffs on imports of European Union products into the US – a move that would increase the prices of Italian wines such as Prosecco and would cause a direct year-on-year loss of around €472m for Italian wine exports to the US, according to the Unione Italiana Vini (UIV). The organisation goes on to say this loss would then rise to around €1bn due to economic slowdown in other markets caused by the tariffs.The US is a major export market for Italian wine, valued at around €1.9bn annually and buying up almost a quarter (24%) of all Italian wine exports. For several Italian wines, including Prosecco and Brunello di Montalcino, the US is easily the biggest international market. In the case of Prosecco, US importers have been stockpiling bottles. Data from the UIV revealed a 41% surge in US imports of Italian sparkling wine in November 2024, as importers sought to hedge against potential tariff-induced disruptions.
Canopy suggested to Garaventa that the timing of Calsecco’s launch is fortuitous. He replied: “Rack & Riddle has been working on Calsecco since 2022, so we have been focused on creating the highest quality sparkling wine, in the right style, at the right price point, so that it will be a compelling offering regardless of any changes that may occur with tariffs.”
Winemaker discusses the inspiration
Rack & Riddle executive director of winemaking Manveer Sandhu explained the background to the development: “Our winemaking team visited leading Italian Prosecco houses in 2022 and came back so inspired. We loved the fresh, vibrant style we experienced there, and decided to employ that winemaking method in California to create our own expression. Calsecco, intentionally local, is made from 100% California-grown and vinted grapes. As a winemaker, this is exciting, as we have created an entirely new category of US sparkling wine.”
In the USA, market demand for sparkling wine has remained steady:
- One in every seven bottles of wine sold in the USA is sparkling.
- The premium sparkling wine segment priced at $13 to $17.99 per 750ml bottle retail is the largest segment with a 39% share of market that continues to grow.
- Appealing to a younger, educated, affluent and diverse consumer, Prosecco-style sparkling wines sold 11.7 million cases in the USA in 2024.
“Making Calsecco is a natural step in Rack & Riddle’s expanded services and a reflection of the innovation on which the company was founded and has operated since it was founded in 2007 (by wine industry veterans Rebecca Faust and Bruce Lundquist),” Sandhu continued. “We have invested in the finest equipment, facilities and winemakers to bring this new wine category to market. Our team brings more than one hundred years of combined winemaking experience, and our commitment to the highest quality possible at every step in the process is unparalleled.”
Rack & Riddle has the capacity to produce 3.5 million cases of wine annually. It has four modern wineries located in Healdsburg, Alexander Valley, Geyserville and Lodi that specialise in sparkling wine production. Tank sizes range from 500 to 100,000 gallons.
In 2025, Rack & Riddle will also offer no/low-alcohol production through an exclusive agreement with the Solos patented Aroma Recovery System.
This prompted Canopy to ask whether a no/low-alcohol Calsecco is on the cards. Garaventa told us: “Our Calsecco blend is naturally lower in alcohol, coming in at 10.5%. We are always looking for ways to naturally lower alcohol in accordance with consumer preferences, while maintaining our distinctive California style. We would, of course, want to establish this new category before line extending into the NOLO space through the use of de-alcolisation technology with our partner Solos.”
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