Wine and friends pair well together. Who doesn’t love catching up with an old pal over a bottle of bubbles? In this spirit, Friends Beverage Group is launching a new formula of its Fun Wine, called Hard Bubbly.

The Miami-based wine group will be releasing three inventive ready-to-drink (RTD) new flavors in early 2021: Peach Passion Moscato, Cappuccino Chardonnay, and Espresso Cabernet. The new Hard Bubbly flavors will be available on January 1, 2021.

As with the original varieties of Fun Wine, each new flavor is lightly carbonated and all are gluten-free. The Hard Bubbly expansion joins the three original flavors of Fun Wine: Coconut Chardonnay, Strawberry Rose Moscato, and Sangria.

The Miami-based Fun Wine is inspired by the culture and vibe of its home city, taking local “art, fashion, and music” into account. Fun Wine’s label pop art labels were designed by graffiti artist Miguel Paredes.

Friends Beverage Group believes that “wine should be fun and not complicated.” When creating Fun Wine, the group decided to focus on three main pillars: “flavor, packaging, and price.”

As a result, Fun Wine is low in both calories and alcohol, with an ABV of 5.5 percent. It contains 59 calories per five ounce pour as well as 1.5 grams of carbs and 0.6 grams of added sugar, making it a lighter average than your traditional chardonnay or moscato.

It is available in two formats: 250 ml aluminum cans or 750 ml glass bottles so you can maximize the fun wherever the party is happening.

Coffee and Wine Combo is Unique

With its bold flavor combinations like Cappuccino Chardonnay and Espresso Cabernet, there is nothing quite like Fun Wine on the market, although it does seem like it was created for brunch.

While spiked coffee is certainly carving out its own space in the drinks market, with PBR’s hard iced vanilla latte leading the charge, we’ve yet to see espresso beans combined with wine grapes. Hard coffee saw a 12 percent increase in sales in the first half of 2020.

However, the wine space has been expanding lately, challenging the definition of the category at the same time. Canned wines in particular are having a moment lately, as sales have nearly doubled since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March. In fact, Wine Industry Advisor predicts that, if trends continue, canned wines will account for a full 10 percent of all wine sales by 2025.

Competition Growing for Lighter, Bubbly Wine

Spritzers, or sparkling water spiked with wine, have grown in popularity along with its cousin, hard seltzer. Even Barefoot released its own Hard Seltzer Wine Spritzer, available in four fruit forward flavors.

Other companies, such as Cupcake Vineyards, have introduced wines that are lighter in both calories and alcohol.

While Barefoot and Cupcake are introducing better-for-you wine options, these drinks are still very similar to a traditional wine in taste. It is exciting to see vineyards like Fun Wine and BeatBox challenging our perceptions of what wine should taste like. Hard Bubbly will give us a fun excuse to ring in new flavors in 2021.

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