Warm-weather categories showed signs of early interest in April, with consumers reaching for lighter options and more tropical flavors last month. The Easter holiday buoyed growth for wine, while light lager showed signs of regaining share lost to hard seltzer in past years. Explore these and more insights from Drizly’s April sales.

High-Growth Categories in Wine, Beer, and Spirits

Drizly users were thinking ahead to summer flavors with their ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktail purchases in April; daiquiri RTDs were among the fastest-growing spirits categories year-over-year, led by the Malibu Strawberry Daiquiri. April also saw a spike in interest year over year for sparkling red wine, perhaps a signal of the transition between seasons, led by top sellers Lini 910 Labrusca Lambrusco Rosso, Apothic Sparkling Red, and BABE Red With Bubbles.

Year-round interest in non-alcoholic alternatives also manifested in April beer trends, as non-alcoholic beer showed some of the highest year-over-year growth. Athletic Brewing represented three of the top five sellers last month, rounded out by Heineken 0.0 and O’Doul’s Non-Alcoholic. 

Easter Insights

Celebrated on April 17, the Easter holiday resulted in increasing wine interest compared to April overall, with wine holding 42 percent of share on Drizly on Easter Sunday (versus 38 percent share during April overall). Beer share remained flat, while liquor dropped to 40 percent of share.

Champagne and sparkling wine proved to be the holiday’s winner, with share growing from 24 percent of the category for April overall to 27 percent on Easter Sunday. “It appears sparkling wine likely took share from the white wine category,” says Liz Paquette, Drizly’s head of consumer insights. White wine share dropped to 27 percent (from 30 percent during April overall) while red and rosé remained flat.

Drizly’s Best-Selling Wine Brands, Easter Sunday 2022

1. Veuve Clicquot
2. La Marca
3. Josh Cellars
4. Bota Box
5. Chateau d’Esclans
6. Decoy
7. Moet & Chandon
8. Kim Crawford
9. Barefoot
10. La Crema

Market Insights: Panama City, Florida

Panama City, located on the coast of Florida’s panhandle, was one of the fastest-growing markets on Drizly during the month of April. Interestingly, its category share breakdown aligns nearly perfectly with nationwide Drizly trends: Liquor leads with 45 percent of share, wine holds 38 percent, beer holds 14 percent, and extras hold two percent. At the subcategory level, however, Panama City shoppers are more likely to purchase Champagne and sparkling wine, tequila, ready-to-drink cocktails, and rosé wine than the average Drizly buyer.

Drizly’s Best-Selling Subcategories in Panama City, Florida vs. Nationwide, April 2022

1. Red Wine vs. Whiskey
2. Champagne & Sparkling Wine vs. Red Wine
3. Tequila vs. White Wine
4. Ready-to-Drink vs. Vodka
5. White Wine vs. Champagne & Sparkling Wine
6. Whiskey vs. Tequila
7. Vodka vs. Lager
8. Rose Wine vs. Hard Seltzer
9. Lager vs. Ale
10. Hard Seltzer vs. Rosé Wine

April’s Fastest-Growing Brands

Brooklyn, New York’s Other Half Brewing Company was the fastest-growing brand in the beer category last month, led by its uber-popular IPAs. Within the wine category, Avaline has become a mainstay among fastest-growing wine brands, with their white blend leading sales this month. Sake brand HeavenSake also saw strong year-over-year growth, buoyed by overall share growth for sake, led by their Junmai Ginjo and Junmai Daiginjo.

Within the liquor category, Tequila Komos moved from the No. 2 fastest-growing spirits brand in March to the No. 1 fastest-growing spirits brand in April. Howler Head also saw strong growth, let by their Banana-Infused Kentucky Straight Bourbon.

Light Lager Is Making a Comeback

As hard seltzer continues to plateau, light lager is regaining share in the beer category, gaining one percentage point in share year-over-year to hit 13 percent of share in April 2022. Conversely, hard seltzer lost one percentage point in share last month compared to last April.