This Issue: Smarter Planning for 2027 | Helpful Tools | Market Buzz
Be advised: Strikes, storms and the season, OH MY! Expect delays. Read below for more.
start at the finish line
Our planning for 2027 starts with a feeling, not a revenue target.
It’s easy to start next year’s plan with a bigger sales target. But a record year isn’t the only outcome worth planning for. Sometimes success means building something that lasts, making room for new ideas or having the courage to make a hard call. Our planning for 2027 starts with how we want to feel at the finish line—and five questions to help us work backward from there. Read the full article by our CEO, Alexi Cashen, here ➔
3 TOOLS FOR PLANNING
Less guesswork, more margin.
TOOL 1 · SALES FORECASTING
With market shifts, tariffs, and margin pressure making this task harder than ever, your gut feel won't cut it. Find out what method we're using to build our 2027 plan.
TOOL 2 · INVENTORY DEMAND PLANNING
Buy too much and your cash sits in a warehouse. Buy too little and you lose your spot on the wine list. Eric Gonzalez at OptiMind can help you find the sweet spot.
TOOL 3 · ACCOUNT PROFITABILITY ANALYSIS
Your future margin is decided at the last mile. We'll show you the single best number for controlling costs most companies miss.
LCL AVAILABILITY & OPS
HOLIDAY CONGESTION. Allow at least one extra week for processing around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s closures before your shipment reaches its final destination.
LIMITED URGENT INBOUND AVAILABILITY. From Thanksgiving, Nov 26, through year-end, urgent inbound requests will be difficult to secure with warehouse partners. Flag any shipment-dependent events or plans so we can try to help.
REMINDER: OCEAN EMERGENCY FUEL SURCHARGE. This is anticipated to return for all European sailings from Nov 12. We’ll advise of any changes.
SPAIN. A Nov 11 strike may affect pickups and loadings. We’ll plan around it where possible.
FRANCE & GERMANY. Departures may run 1–2 days behind due to storm closures at Le Havre and Rotterdam Oct 23–25.
FRANCE & ITALY. A 24-hour port strike on Oct 30 may cause skipped calls or rolled bookings; allow an additional week of lead time.
ITALY. A trucker strike in Naples is still slowing pickups.
MENDOZA-CHILE PASS. Reopened on Oct 23; Argentine cargo is moving!
A TWIST OF NEWS
Our take on the stories worth your time
MARKET BUZZ
RNDC reshapes U.S. alcohol distribution
RNDC’s retreat has opened the door for beer wholesalers, including Reyes Beverage Group, to acquire its operations and expand their presence in wine distribution. Who’s buying—and how far their ambitions extend beyond beer—is the focus of this look at the latest distribution deals Read the full article on Vinetur
OUR TAKE:
“Let’s call this what it is: it’s not a reshaping, it's a reshuffling. RNDC's markets didn't fragment into something new, they landed in the hands of another giant. Brands are noticing. The quiet trend underneath this deal isn't consolidation, it's brands pulling away from the old model: going regional, picking smaller partners market by market, or skipping the middleman and going direct. That's the story to watch. Not who absorbed RNDC's book of business, but who's deciding they don't want to be that dependent on any one giant again.” — Alexi Cashen, Elysia CEO
THIEVIN’
Thieves cart off 30,000 bottles of Tuscany’s finest wines
Another major wine heist in Italy! Thieves stole 30,000 bottles worth €5 million from Antinori in Tuscany, disabling alarms and CCTV before using the winery’s own forklifts to load two trucks with premium wines, including Solaia, Tignanello and Guado al Tasso. Read the full article in the Telegraph
MARKET BUZZ
Southern Glazer’s agrees to end retailer price disparities
It’s news like this that reinforces our commitment to helping independent wine businesses compete on their own terms. Southern Glazer’s is back in the regulatory spotlight. The distributor has agreed to stop giving its largest retail customers significantly better wholesale prices than nearby independent stores. Read the full article in The Drinks Business
MARKET BUZZ
13 Halloween Cocktails to Make for a Spirited Celebration
We know, it’s Good Housekeeping—but hear us out. These Halloween drinks bring more to the party than a spooky name. Think skull-shaped ice staring back at your guests, martinis with floating “eyeballs,” and blood-red Shirley Temple Jello shots topped with cherries. Have fun! Read the full article
INDUSTRY ON THE ROAD
🪩 Come to Booth #1 to say hi, or join us for the after party! 🪩
Got a tricky shipment, market, or growth question? We’re all ears.
