Nocking Point Creates A Special Rose Wine To Commemorate 2020

Although the American wine industry is worth a staggering $70 billion in annual sales, it remains stubbornly intimidating to a large segment of millennial drinkers. Despite being the largest wine-drinking subcategory by sheer volume, a vast majority of them feel alienated by premium producers. Making inroads with this younger audience are brands such as Nocking Point Wines. Started in Walla Walla, Washington back in 2012, the producer bills itself as a maker of ultra-premium wines with incredibly unique stories.

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Translation: they are able to bottle quality juice without coming across as overly precious and stuffy. They’re latest offering is a case in point. FU 2020 is a sparkling rosé intended to give this year the sendoff it deserves (aka, “good riddance”). Bright and quaffable while maintaining a refined elegance, the liquid will surely inspire subdued, cautious celebration as we all turn our attention towards a more hopeful year ahead. It is now selling exclusively on the Nocking Point website for $49 per two-pack.

The idea for this particular label comes from co-founder Andrew Harding—a former MTV executive who started the winery and wine club with his actor friend, Stephen Amell. After opting on the style, and somewhat controversial name, he wasn’t sure that federal approve would come through. All new bottles of beer, wine, and spirit, need to be signed off on by a governmental agency known as the TTB. And this one, with its profanity-teasing title, had the potential to rub officials the wrong way. Alas, it cleared legal hurdles and became ready just in time for the holidays.

#FU2020—as it will surely be tagged on social media—joins a long list of Nocking Point wines that leverage fun minus fuss. Over the past eight years, the company has collaborated with top names in TV, film, and professional sports to deliver an impressive array of offerings through their wine club, which now counts more than 200,000 members.

Earlier this month they teamed up with singer/songwriter Jessie James Decker for a pinot grigio release entitled Stay Gold. The bottle and the wine it holds is intended to echo the playfulness of the country star and her Kittenish fashion line.

“When we cross paths with someone who is incredibly imaginative, multi-talented, has a true fervor for creating and a genuine appreciation for wine like Jessie, we know we’re going to end up with a collaboration that customers will love and that we’ll all be incredibly proud of for a long time,” says Harding. “We have all been in-sync and captivated by Jessie’s infectious passion and energy.”

The $24 one-off will join other high-profile partnerships including recent collabs with the Real Housewives, Jason Momoa, Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher. Yet none of this would mean much if the juice itself weren’t worthy. And for this, Nocking Point turns to some of Washington state’s most esteemed vineyards and wine-makers to ensure that their customers keep coming back for more. It all falls under their mission to change how wine is “discovered, talked about, packaged and accessed” by a millennial-skewing audience. Is this the future of wine? Only time will tell. But their enduring success suggests that they’re tapping into something that promises to age quite well, indeed.

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