Myth Busters – Wine & Health
January 23, 2024
9:00 am - 10:00 am
Myth Busters – Wine & Health
It is tough to mention the words “health” and “wine” in the same sentence without getting serious side-eye, but with wine’s new labeling laws and studies coming out seemingly daily about the health impacts of alcohol, not to mention the dozens of emerging brands promising low-calorie, “clean-crafted,” better-for-you products, it’s time to get to the bottom of what this all means for the beverage alcohol industry.
In this session, we will explore the following:
- What “health” claims – if any – can we make about wine, and what we need to stay away from.
- A deep dive into what ingredients labeling in wine means, and how to effectively communicate some of these complexities to consumers.
- Why companies like Avaline, Fit Vine, and Fresh Vine aren’t the bad guys – and what opportunities they seized that the rest of us could learn from.
- What areas of opportunity there are to position wine as part of a modern, wellness-conscious lifestyle in the context of new trends and terms (e.g. “damp drinking,” wineries with wellness activities, etc.).
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Moderator
Devin Parr is a leading personality in the wine industry. She is the Founder and Managing Partner of Devin Parr & Associates, a PR, marketing, and content agency in the beverage, travel and tourism space. She holds her Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Diploma as well as a certification in wine expertise from the Apicius International School of Hospitality in Florence, Italy, and a B.A. in political science and economics from UC San Diego. In 2017, she was named one of Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s Top 40 Under 40 Tastemakers.
A passionate storyteller, Devin regularly contributes to wine and lifestyle publications, including VinePair, WineCountry.com, NapaValley.com, Sonoma.com, and The Gourmet Insider, and her own blog on DevinParr.com, where she covers the business of wine. She is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Vintner Project, and co-founder of online wine community Grapeloop. When she’s not traveling the world in search of memorable wines, she moonlights as an aspiring ninja, pursuing her black belt in Shorin Ryu karate.
Devin is based in Temecula, California with her husband, two sons, and two bossy Shih Tzus. Follow her wine, parenting, and martial arts adventures at @thesocalwinegal.
Speakers
A foundation in international hotel management, Including the Ritz London, introduced David to the world of fine wines, advancing the Australian assault on the global wine market while working as Director of Brands – UK/Europe for Rosemount Estate Wines. Recognizing the encouraging developments in the NOLO beverage sector, David established the Vinolo project in 2018 to critically assess existing products and focus on creating alcohol-free wines for enthusiasts. Mindful of the impact of years of consuming alcohol on his own health, he decided to go alcohol-free himself, although longed to still be able to enjoy the fascinating flavours, textures & ritual that only wine provides. With Co-Founder & wine trade veteran Will Willis, David launched ZENO Prestige alcohol-liberated wines in December 2022, garnering numerous awards & continuing to discover new techniques to improve alcohol-free wine quality & sophistication. David also actively works to support the dynamic NoLo segment as it grows & prospers internationally.
Jennifer Purcell is the CEO of Avaline, a wine company founded by Cameron Diaz and Katherine Power that is raising the standard in the industry by making organic wine more accessible. While at the helm, Avaline has grown to the #2 organic wine brand in the country and become the third fastest growing wine brand within the top 200 wine brands nationally.
Before joining Avaline, Jen was CFO of Lumi, a high growth packaging sourcing and management platform serving DTC companies, and VP, Finance & Corporate Strategy at Thrive Market for nearly four years as it grew from $25MM to over $200MM in revenue. Jen also spent time at The Bouqs Company, a DTC floral retailer, and co-founded a startup that focused on educational software used by speech language pathology practitioners and patients. Prior to joining the startup world, Jen spent the early part of her career in transactional finance, including distressed debt and investment banking.
Her pedigree in DTC consumer businesses and finance makes her a strategic, data-driven leader who natively understands the constantly changing digital landscape. Having worked with several great leaders in the past, Jen prides herself on being a strong mentor that seeks to get the best out of her team. Her past experiences working with high growth, distressed, and mature companies has allowed her to understand the strategic decisions that must be made at various stages of a company’s lifecycle.
Emily Saladino is a journalist and recipe developer based in New York. Previously the Culinary Editor at Food Network, Editor in Chief of VinePair, and Managing Editor of Wine Enthusiast, she currently works as a Writer at Large for Wine Enthusiast. She reviews wines from Georgia, Greece, and Hungary for Wine Enthusiast, and contributes to The Washington Post, Food and Wine, Bon Appetit, BBC, and many others. She also tests and develops recipes for cookbooks and brands. A graduate of French Culinary Institute, she is a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier and Circle of Wine Writers.