The final month of 2022 brought seasonal trends to the forefront, from the importance of gifting over the Christmas holiday to strong growth for a rich red wine category and the dominance of Champagne and sparkling wine on New Year’s Eve. Read on for five key insights from December 2022 sales on Drizly.

Top-Selling Drinks Categories in December

As temperatures dropped, consumers looked towards richer style of wines last month—namely, Tuscan blends, which experienced strong year-over-year growth in December. Top sellers included Verga La Storia 1895 Rosso Toscano Super Tuscan, Col D’orcia Spezieri Toscana, Tenuta Di Biserno Biserno Bibbona, Argiano Non Confunditur Rosso Toscano, and Tenuta di Arceno il Fauno Toscana IGT.

The English Pale Ale/Bitter/ESB category was strong within the beer category, led by SKUs like Boddingtons Pub Ale, Foster’s Premium Ale, Cisco Brewers Whale’s Tale Pale Ale, Montauk Driftwood Ale, and Old Speckled Hen. 

Within the liquor category, eau de vie – the clear fruit brandy – had a strong showing. Top SKUs had a wide range of iterations: G.E. Massenez Poire Williams (made from pear), Clear Creek Douglas Fir (which infuses springtime buds of Douglas fir trees into the brandy), Cobrafire Eau de Vie de Raisin (made in Armagnac), Busnel Calvados Fine (distilled from apples), and Willm Kirsch d’Alsace Cherry Brandy (which, as the name suggests, is made from Alsatian cherries).

Christmas Sales Insights

Ahead of the Christmas 2022 holiday, which fell over a weekend, consumers looked to purchase their drinks products in advance. December 23 was the top sales date, followed by December 22 and December 24. 

As expected, gifting played a major role during the Christmas season, and gifts purchased on Drizly were dominated by spirits (51 percent) and wine (47 percent). Champagne was the most-gifted subcategory from December 19 to 25, followed by red wine, while various whiskey subcategories (bourbon, Scotch, and Japanese whisky) also ranked high. Reposado tequila, añejo tequila, and silver/blanco tequila held spots five, six, and seven, respectively, on the most-gifted subcategory breakdown during this time frame.

The Most-Gifted Items on Drizly, December 19 to 25, 2022

1. Veuve Clicquot Brut Yellow Label Champagne
2. Caymus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
3. Clase Azul Reposado Tequila
4. Dom Pérignon Vintage Champagne
5. Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Gift Box Champagne
6. Don Julio 1942
7. Moët & Chandon Impérial Brut Champagne
8. Johnnie Walker Blue Label Blended Scotch
9. The Macallan Double Cask 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
10. Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon

New Year’s Eve Sales Insights

Wine held the top category spot on New Year’s Eve 2022, as it often does on the sparkler-centric holiday, with 47 percent share of sales, followed by liquor at 41 percent and beer at 10 percent. 

This was largely driven by Champagne and sparkling wine, which held 30 percent share of total sales; other top sellers included whiskey (12 percent), tequila (nine percent), and red wine (nine percent). Within this subcategory, Champagne outpaced other sparkling wines by a large margin: 69 percent of share, compared to Prosecco (15 percent), sparkling rosé (eight percent), and American sparkling (five percent).

Prosecco appeared to be more popular among Drizly purchasers this year over New Year’s Eve 2021: La Marca made major gains over last year, moving from No. 4 to No. 2, and Mionetto Prosecco Brut made its way onto the top 10 list, sitting at No. 6. Among Champagne SKUs, Nicolas Feuillatte fell off the list, while Perrier Jouët joined to hold spot No. 10.

The Best-Selling Champagnes and Sparkling Wines on Drizly, New Year’s Eve 2022

1. Veuve Clicquot Brut Yellow Label Champagne
2. La Marca Prosecco
3. Moët & Chandon Impérial Brut Champagne
4. Dom Pérignon Vintage Champagne
5. Korbel Brut California Champagne
6. Mionetto Prosecco Brut
7. Veuve Clicquot Rosé Champagne
8. Moët & Chandon Impérial Rosé Champagne
9. Chandon Brut Sparkling
10. Perrier Jouët Grand Brut Champagne

Market Insights: Tulsa, Oklahoma

Across Drizly markets, Tulsa, Oklahoma, proved to be the fastest-growing one in December. As in nationwide trends, Tulsa ordering is led by liquor sales, followed by wine and beer. However, the market over-indexes on liquor (49 percent of share) and beer (18 percent of share), while wine sits at 31 percent of share.

Top-selling subcategories also see some shifts over nationwide trends. Vodka and Champagne hold the top two spots in Tulsa, followed by red wine, which is the top performer across the entire Drizly platform. Light lager and flavored whiskey are also among Tulsa’s top 10 subcategories, while they do not rank nationwide.

December’s Breakout Brands

As it did in August 2022, Victoria, which claims to be the first Mexican lager brand, led beer category growth in December. The wine category’s breakout brand underscores the power of the Sancerre region: Domaine Jean-Paul Balland, a Sancerre-based producer, saw exceptional growth in December.

Within the liquor category, two brands were standouts. Cayman Jack, a ready-to-drink brand, was led by their canned margarita, which has overtaken their traditional bottle format. Mozart, an Austrian chocolate liqueur brand, also saw strong growth, led by their Chocolate Cream flavor and followed by Dark Chocolate and Chocolate Vanilla Cream.