Sommly announces the launch of its Direct-to-Consumer wine marketplace.
Founded by a husband and wife team, Erik and Sara Wagner, Sommly’s initial focus is the Texas market, where there are more than 450 wineries and over 2 million gallons of wine produced annually. In 2021, US wineries sold $78.3 billion in wine with $4.2 billion of that coming in the form of direct online sales. These numbers represent an increase of 17% and 13.5% respectively over the prior year, which indicates that consumers are quickly embracing buying wine online.
The majority of the US’ approximately 11,500 wineries do not sell their wines in retail stores or restaurants because it results in much lower profits for wineries due to the three-tier system of alcohol distribution. Sommly enables these wineries to find new customers and sell their wine online direct-to-consumers, which protects their profit margins.
“Many smaller operators know they need to get online but need help. Sommly’s entrance as the ‘Etsy of Wine’ will be extremely helpful for boutique wineries, and the timing is brilliant with the accelerated shift toward eCommerce,” said Dr. Liz Thach, MW, a professor at UC Davis.
The Sommly marketplace now hosts over 80 wine bottles for purchase and 450 wineries. The platform is now available for all Texas wineries to join free-of-cost. Premium subscriptions are available for wineries who wish to list their wines for sale in the marketplace and to feature their wine club memberships. For more information on Sommly, please visit Sommly.com.