For a wine connoisseur, or even just a true wine lover, the idea of miniature wine bottles can sound peculiar. See: unnecessary. What need are we trying to meet with small-format wine bottles and, really, who complained? Well, no one complained, but many Millennials and Gen Z consumers are rejoicing. Mini wines are “cute,” but they also promote moderate alcohol consumption and supposedly reduce waste – and the younger generations are very much into that.

This summer, Canadian wine brand Saintly decided to bank on the ever-trendy format, downsizing their standard bottle and releasing a line of mini sparkling wine for pocket-sized servings. “Saintly Minis were launched to meet the modern consumer’s interest in having greater control over how they enjoy wine, opening up our sparkling wines to new occasions – those in which consumers typically reach for a RTD or single serve product, and perhaps not typically sparkling wine,” explains Marsha McFadgen, VP of marketing, premium brands at parent company Arterra Canada.

According to Statistics Canada, alcohol sales increased at the fastest pace observed in a decade during the first year of the pandemic – $25.5 billion or 1,272 Olympic-sized swimming pools’ worth of beverages. In 2021, a little over five million Canadians reported they became heavy drinkers. And while, granted, humans coped as best they could during the global health crisis, many have started to curb their drinking.

In fact, a report produced by a virtual alcohol marketplace called Drizly reveals that 23% of Gen Z and 24% of millennials are now drinking non-alcoholic beer or wine often; only 6% of Gen X and 1% of boomers are doing the same. But Saintly believes there’s a middle ground. Mini wines are the equivalent of one glass, which helps drinkers keep track of how much they’re consuming and moderate their intake. Drinking consciously, is the goal.

The Saintly portfolio was Arterra’s answer to meeting a younger consumer, Gen Z and Millennials. “The brand aesthetics and quality VQA wines resonate with that target audience,” as demonstrated by its popularity. The product innovation behind Saintly Minis is designed to expand and reinforce the brand’s popularity with its existing consumers, as well as reach new ones.

But the interest in mini sizing is not new, in fact, the format seems to have first appeared in the 1890s when Champagne Houses wanted consumers to sample just enough in order to convince them to buy whole bottles. And, according to McFadgen, the miniatures movement has been doing well and isn’t going anywhere, making Saintly’s stylized bottles appealing to a broad range of consumers.

“Sparkling wine is also the fastest growing wine segment nationally, as Canadians continue to reach for effervescent products and small formats continue to gain momentum in wine, up 5.3% nationally as consumer interest in single-serve and ready-to-drink products continues to grow.”

But they’re also, lately, viewed as better for the environment, as well as the consumer experience. “Saintly sparkling wines are well-suited to the smaller format, allowing people to enjoy their bubbles and not worry about losing the effervescence or being wasteful.”

So far, shrinking its popular wine was a great call for Saintly. “Canadians are loving the Sparkling Minis. The first-ever national launch of a miniature VQA sparkling is being enthusiastically embraced by bubbly lovers. The sales are surpassing forecasts.” In fact, sales have exceeded projections enough that Saintly is producing additional quantities to keep up with current consumer demand.

Saintly is aware that it is already one of the fastest growing VQA brands today, even though it only took off four years ago. Its product The Good Rosé is the top VQA rosé nationally. So capitalizing on the growing consumer interest in controlling wine consumption and the miniatures trend was a natural next step in the momentum it has built. The brand’s next goal for Minis is to have its popularity last year round, rather than as a fun summer option – “from bridal showers to stocking stuffers.”

The launch is being supported with paid and organic influencer and social programs, high volume sampling campaigns and a six-week paid media buy on Meta and Pinterest. “The social campaign’s key visuals are Saintly’s fashion-forward expression of the world of mini,” McFadgen says, “tapping into items that are relevant to the brand’s audience, while positioning Saintly Minis as the next ‘must have’ mini item for their target. The greatest trend we see today is consumers emphasize quality over quantity and greater control over their consumption.”

And, it appears, Saintly Minis deliver on those points.