Business of Drinks Podcast Highlights One of the Brightest Spots in Wine Retail
NEW YORK, NY (May 21, 2025) — As much of the wine retail industry is struggling amid flat sales and shifting consumer preferences, one company stands apart: Benchmark Wine Group. In a new episode of the Business of Drinks podcast, founder and CEO David Parker reveals how Benchmark reached $45 million in sales in 2024 — a more than 12% increase from the prior year — and is on track to hit $50 million in 2025.
So what’s driving the success? “We play in the rare wine segment — wines that are impossible to find anywhere else,” Parker says. “This high-touch, high-trust model has kept us resilient, even as other retailers have contracted.”
Under Parker’s leadership, Benchmark has evolved into a multifaceted rare wine and spirits ecosystem. The company includes BenchmarkWine.com, Brentwood Auctions, Washington D.C.-based Benchmark Wine & Spirits, Napa’s Wine Spectrum, and First Growth Technologies, a proprietary data and analytics platform powering Wine Market Journal and Spirits Market Journal.
Highlights from the Episode:
- Rare wine focus fuels growth: Benchmark’s focus on hard-to-source bottles and back-vintage wines — often from private cellars — is outperforming mainstream retail models.
- Millennials drive 30% of sales (!!): A surprising 30% of Benchmark’s dollar sales now come from Millennial collectors, a demographic that’s reshaping the rare wine landscape with different tastes and digital discovery habits.
- AI and automation take the lead: Benchmark has built a proprietary software suite, added real-time API integrations with platforms like Liv-ex, and is exploring AI-powered personalization to elevate the collector experience.
- Expanding into rare spirits: Benchmark’s D.C. operations, which can legally sell rare spirits, grew by more than 300% year-over-year.
- Customer trust through provenance: The company’s “Provenance Guarantee” ensures every bottle’s authenticity and condition, with Parker noting that returns are rare enough to count on one hand per quarter.
Benchmark Wine Group’s success story represents a critical bright spot in a challenging market. By combining deep industry expertise, cutting-edge technology, and a commitment to collector service, the company is not just surviving — it’s thriving.
Watch or listen to the full interview with David Parker on Business of Drinks, streaming now on Heritage Radio Network and all major podcast platforms.
About Business of Drinks
Business of Drinks is a podcast and brand advisory founded by Erica Duecy, who has been called “a powerhouse in the drinks industry” (Sommeliers Choice Awards). She is one of the drinks industry’s most accomplished digital and content strategists. The weekly Business of Drinks podcast, hosted on Heritage Radio Network, features the most compelling and successful entrepreneurs in drinks, from Bill Shufelt on how he launched and built Athletic Brewing, to Gallo’s Britt West on growing High Noon to more than 24 million cases, to Fawn Weaver of Uncle Nearest on how she built a billion-dollar brand. Business of Drinks showcases the brightest spots in the beverage business, sharing the successful sales, marketing, product, and operational strategies of brands that have shown growth over the prior year. The goal is to help drinks businesses — across categories — to grow and thrive.
