With two major purchasing occasions (Valentine’s Day and Super Bowl), February 2022 showed interesting sale spikes among consumers. Discover new white wine varieties and regions showing growth, a continued increase in liquor share, and more with these five insights from last month’s Drizly sales.

Fast-Growing Subcategories in Wine, Beer, and Spirits

One of the fastest-growing spirits subcategories last month was the Martini ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktail, led by Two Chicks Sparkling Cranberry Tartini. While RTD cocktail growth is nothing new, the success of this category has spilled over into new styles and flavors; there are currently 50 Martini RTD SKUs in Drizly’s inventory.

Consumers also seemed to be branching out within the white wine category, with Assyrtiko experiencing high year-over-year growth in February. Top-selling SKUs last month included Santos Assyrtiko Santorini, Domaine Sigalas Santorini Assyrtiko, Domaine Sigalas Assyrtiko Monemvasia, Gavalas Blue Santorini, and Feredini Karamolegos Assyrtiko Dry White. 

Within the beer category, spice and herb beers experienced rapid year-over-year growth, with top sellers inspired by Mexican flavors. They included Modelo Chelada Especial Mexican Import Flavored Beer, Modelo Chelada Limon y Sal Mexican Import Flavored Beer, Budweiser Chelada Picante with Clamato, Modelo Chelada Pina Picante Mexican Import Flavored Beer, and Bud Light Chelada Extra Lime with Clamato.

Super Bowl Sunday Insights

Drizly orders on Super Bowl Sunday (February 13, 2022) were up compared to previous Sundays (an increase of 40 percent compared to the average sales of the past four Sunday) and last year’s Super Bowl Sunday. Order value increased as well, showing growth of six percent over the previous four Sundays and 12 percent year-over-year.

Nationwide, beer sales share spiked by eight percent on Super Bowl Sunday compared to the entire month, but they declined year-over-year. Liquor held the top spot, while wine gained three percentage points to hold 36 percent of share and beer declined three percentage points to hold 23 percent of share. Tequila SKUs scaled up the top-sellers list compared to monthlong sales on Super Bowl Sunday, with Don Julio 1942 and Espolón Tequila Blanco moving into the list (from No. 13 to No. 7 and No. 12 to No. 10, respectively). Hard seltzer popularity helstrong, though American-style lager also increased share on Super Bowl Sunday; light lager lost one percentage point in share. Within the wine category, Champagne and Prosecco held strong as consumer favorites, as they did monthlong.

As for hometown-specific trends for the Super Bowl teams, the Bengals’ hometown of Cincinnati over-indexed on wine sales on Super Bowl Sunday, with the category holding 48 percent of share. Veuve Clicquot Brut Yellow Label Champagne was the top-selling wine SKU that Sunday, a sign of the city’s hoped-for win. In the Los Angeles hometown of the victorious Rams (which also hosted the Super Bowl), liquor held 52 percent of share, led by Don Julio 1942.

Valentine’s Day Trends

“Gift share saw a significant increase this Valentine’s Day compared to the holiday in previous years,” says Liz Paquette, Drizly’s head of consumer insights. The share of Drizly sales that were gift orders was 17 percent in 2022, nearly double the nine percent share over the holiday in 2021. This also exceeded the average gift order share so far in 2022, which is 11 percent.

Wine led gift order sales, and 20 percent of all wine sales were gifts; within the liquor category, 17 percent of sales were gift orders. Some of the fastest-growing gifts over Valentine’s Day 2022 versus prior year include Monkey 47 Dry Gin, Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Cointreau, Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc, Risata Moscato d’Asti, and McBride Sisters Black Girl Magic California Red Blend.

Drizly’s Top-Selling Gift SKUs, Valentine’s Day 2022

1. Veuve Clicquot Brut Yellow Label Champagne
2. Moët & Chandon Impérial Brut Champagne
3. Dom Pérignon Vintage Champagne
4. Don Julio 1942
5. Veuve Clicquot Rose Champagne
6. Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Gift Box Champagne
7. Caymus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
8. Clase Azul Reposado Tequila
9. Casamigos Blanco
10. Moët & Chandon Impérial Rosé Champagne

February’s Product Breakouts

Loire Valley wine producer Domaine Hippolyte Reverdy experienced breakout brand growth in February, led by their top-selling Sancerre. Growth for this brand is likely tied to soaring consumer interest in sustainable wines, as well as increasing demand for Sancerre amidst predicted upcoming supply shortages.

Within the spirits category, Lobos 1707 demonstrated the continued popularity of tequila as the month’s fastest-growing liquor brand. Its growth was led by the brand’s joven products, followed by their reposado and extra añejo. Beer’s fastest-growing brand was Gnarly Barley, a Louisiana-based brewery with growth driven by their Gnarly Barley Jucifer IPA. As Louisiana held the majority of the brand’s sales in February, this indicates rising consumer interest in local, craft beer.

Consumers Continue to Reach for Liquor

Liquor sales have been on the rise on Drizly for nearly two years, but still, consumers are increasing their liquor purchasing. In February 2022, liquor accounted for 44 percent share of sales, versus 43 percent share in February 2021 and 41 percent share in February 2020. “Much of this can be attributed to growth in categories like ready-to-drink cocktails and tequila,” says Paquette, “which are attracting consumers who may have otherwise purchased beer or wine categories.”