Gregg Popovich, president and owner of California’s popularly-priced Castle Rock Wines, saw sales steadily increase through the beginning of this year, something he credited to the erosion of premiumisation. 

But the pandemic should have put an end to that, right? Castle Rock lost key cruise ship and airline accounts when Covid-19 upended those two markets, Meanwhile, the launch of a by-the-glass Chardonnay and Pinot Noir program for national and large regional restaurant chains couldn’t have come at a worse time. So why were Castle Rock’s sales up 11% over the first six months of the year, led by mid-double-digit growth for two of its $15 Pinot Noirs?