The canned wine category, which barely existed a decade ago, has discovered that the fastest route to a consumer's glass is often at 35,000 feet.
Archer Roose Wines, the brand co-owned by the actress Elizabeth Banks, has secured its second airline partnership, this time with Breeze Airways, the low-cost carrier founded by David Neeleman. The deal will place three Archer Roose varieties — an Italian Bubbly Rosé, a Pinot Grigio and an Australian Pinot Noir — on Breeze flights and in the airline's picnic bundle offering.
The arrangement follows what the company describes as a successful five-year relationship with JetBlue, which suggests that airline wine service, long a punchline for frequent travelers, may be undergoing a quiet rehabilitation. (Or at least a repackaging.)
"People aren't only drinking wine at a white-tablecloth dinner," said Marian Leitner-Waldman, a co-founder of Archer Roose, in what may be the understatement of the current beverage cycle.
The brand has been methodical about building distribution through what might be called the captive-audience channel: venues where consumers have limited alternatives and considerable time to kill. Its partners include Regal Cinemas, Dave & Buster's and Princess Cruises, a list that suggests the company has studied where Americans find themselves thirsty and underserved.
For Breeze, which has positioned itself as a nimble alternative to legacy carriers, the partnership offers a modest point of differentiation in an industry where such points are increasingly difficult to find. For Archer Roose, it represents another step in the slow work of making canned wine seem less like a compromise and more like a choice.
Ms. Banks, whose involvement gives the brand a celebrity co-owner in an era when such arrangements have become almost mandatory, was not quoted in the announcement.
Original story published in adweek.com: "With Breeze Airlines Partnership, Archer Roose Turns to Travel to Build Its Brand"