By Rick Riozza
In the brave new world of wine there are more and more new brave women playing in the game of wine. One such lady is Dana Spaulding and her company founded in 2017 is Wander + Ivy. The company produces premium wine and is “elevating the single-serve experience by delivering delicious wine made with organic grapes and conveniently bottled in a single serving.”
She spent the first of her career at JP Morgan Private Bank where she managed wealth for successful entrepreneurs. There she met her husband and they both talked of being entrepreneurs themselves. Their website continues, “Dana saw the demand for single serving organic wines & ran with it! In a very cute + chic way.”
Her story goes, “One evening my husband asked me, “Are you really going to waste another bottle of wine?” I was frustrated because, yes, I really wanted to enjoy a nice glass of wine after a long day; but yes, I hated to admit, he was right. I would likely waste the bottle by not finishing it. That really was the spark for me.”
Here are her comments on that spark! “I searched high and low for single-serve options, but everything I found left much to be desired—like great taste and packaging that mirrored the quality of the experience. When I couldn’t find one, I decided to create one myself.”
“I started Wander + Ivy because I wanted the freedom to enjoy a great glass of wine without the guilt of bottle waste. Today we are proud to offer an elevated single-serve wine experience that combines the exquisite taste and terroir of organic wines from sustainable producers with convenient premium packaging and a deep-seated commitment to helping charitable organizations feed those in need.”
So a couple of years ago, the company launched a direct-to-consumer sales program and wwithin a year or so, the company’s sales saw a 425-percent increase! Now the product is available nationwide. You desert wine folks may have already noticed the single-serve bottle on the market shelves.
Dana continues, “The patented glass packaging of the glam Wander + Ivy lineup set the single-serve wines apart—but the real difference is inside.” Wander + Ivy partners with sustainable wine producers who use certified-organic grapes.”
“One notable takeaway of Wander + Ivy’s growth story is the scale of its charitable donations. From the beginning, the company has been committed to giving back. In 2020, Wander + Ivy donated 1-percent of its sales to the nonprofit Colorado Feeding Kids, providing a whopping 15,000 meals to hungry children in our home state of Colorado and nationwide.”
All that being said, my personal comment is that the glass bottle packaging is absolutely convenient!! Now you can take a nice glass of wine with you to any place at any time. The glass is sturdy but sleek (and off the record, it’s extremely re-usable for all your requirements!).
Hey!—and just in to report, Ralphs Markets is now carrying some of the bottled varietals. Currently Wander + Ivy offers a Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Rosé Wine, Red Wine Blend, and White Wine—and it sounds like more is on the way!
We’ll probably cover a lot more of the Wander + Ivy portfolio when we do the CV Weekly’s Women’s Issue in May. For now, I’ll write of the wines I’ve just sampled:
2020 Limited Edition Cabernet Sauvignon ($6.99) This California Cabernet shows beautiful aromas of ripe boysenberry, cassis and a touch of mocha and coffee. On the palate, this wine is supple with soft tannins and a velvety texture, with black cherry fruit and a hint of vanilla.
2020 Limited Edition Red Blend ($6.99) Made from organically grown Bobal and Merlot grapes, this Spanish blend has red fruit aromas with subtle toasted notes. It is medium-bodied, fresh and balanced on the palate, with hints of chocolate and spice.
2020 Limited Edition Rosé ($6.99) This is a pleasantly light and crisp dry rosé exhibiting aromas of raspberry and strawberry. On the palate there is fresh apples and rose petals. The grapes were all organically grown in the South of France.
As mentioned above, we’ll cover more Wander + Ivy in a couple of months. This will give me some time to actually chat with Dana and get her latest take on her lovely wine portfolio—and, how she came up with the name! So stay tuned . . . and Cheers!
