Island Grove Wine Company is ecstatic to share the launch of their first sparkling wine collection in 2023 – specifically with Whole Foods Market in Florida. Working closely with the University of Florida’s Food Science and Human Nutrition Department, the Island Grove team has created a line of 4 new wines (3 Moscatos and 1 Sangria). With tasty varieties and creative packaging that match the vibe and feel of the fun Florida based brand, this line extension is a great way to start off the new year.
FLORIDA, April 6, 2023 – Island Grove Wine Company, a blueberry and fruit winery located in Island Grove Florida, has launched a new line of Sparkling Wine, now available at the Whole Foods Markets throughout Florida.
The concept was born through the winery’s collaborations with Whole Foods Market and food and beverage scientists at the University of Florida. The UF/IFAS Food Science and Human Nutrition Department was working on a study that would show what taste testers would prefer between different levels of carbonation in blueberry and muscadine wines, including wines produced by Island Grove. They choose these varietals because of the proliferation of these types of wine created from wineries located in Florida.
Dr. Andrew MacIntosh, senior author of the study and assistant professor at UF, and Nicholas Wendrick, a master’s student and lead author on the study, found that out of the four different levels of carbonation studied in the wines at the UF Sensory Lab, there was a clear conclusion.
The wines with any form of CO2 were 100% preferred to the still forms of the same sweeter wine.
“We tested four different levels of carbonation, but we found that there isn’t one level of carbonation that people overwhelmingly like best,” MacIntosh said. “That’s good news for wineries because they can tailor the level of carbonation to their needs and still provide a value-added product for the consumer.”
While this study involving Island Grove Wine Company wines was being conducted at UF, the team at Whole Foods for the Florida market reached out to the winery. Looking for a Florida based company to create a sparkling line, Whole Foods worked closely with the team at Island Grove to select the varieties, taste and consumer packaging that would be a fit for their market.
“We wanted to put this new incredible wine in just an equally as interesting and creative package”, said Island Grove’s VP of Marketing, Sarah Aschliman. “We invested in this line with a new package style, as well as production equipment to create the wine. It’s going to look fantastic in Whole Foods.”
Chase Marden, head winemaker and one of the owner/founders of Island Grove Wine Company reflects on the process, “This is the first time we have sparkled our wines on a commercial level – and I’m into it! I feel like our wines have always had intense flavor but this bubbly is over the top. The taste and smell are amplified by the CO2 and it really brings out the fruits of our labor!”
Look for the new line at retail during the Spring of 2023. The Sparkling Berry Sangria will be available in many retail outlets and the Sparkling Peach Moscato, Sparkling Blueberry Moscato and the Sparkling Strawberry Moscato will be available at Whole Foods in Florida. All items are currently available on the winery website for shipping directly to consumers.
About Island Grove Wine Company
Founded in 2010, the Island Grove Wine Company was created to make a value-added product to an already thriving blueberry farm. Their signature wines, Kinda Dry and Sorta Sweet, utilize nutrient rich blueberries to create beautiful, dry and sweet 100% blueberry wines. Now, years later, they produce over 20 kinds of wine, with some favorites being Sunshine State Berry Sangria, Blueberry Moscato and soon to be their Sparkling collection.
- www.islandgrovewinecompany.com
- Instagram @islandgrovewine
- Facebook @IslandGroveWineCompany
