What if wine could still feel like wine — just without the full-strength consequences?
In this episode of The Drinks Entrepreneur Podcast, Alex Macintyre speaks with Russ Lamb, co-founder of 6Percent Wine: a brand built around a simple but powerful idea: creating genuinely good-tasting, mid-strength wine for people who still want the wine experience, but not the next-day fog.
Russ shares how he and his wife, Gabi, went from loving wine and running wine tastings to spotting a clear gap in the market after becoming parents. Frustrated by the lack of quality lower-alcohol options, they decided to create their own, and ended up building an entirely new proposition in the process.
From searching the world for the right partners, to spending two years developing the liquid in Bordeaux, to helping define the emerging mid-strength drinks category, this is a brilliant conversation about spotting an opportunity, backing your instincts, and building a challenger brand in a traditional industry.
In this episode we discuss:
• The story behind launching 6Percent Wine
• Why parenthood changed Russ and Gabi’s relationship with wine
• The gap between full-strength and alcohol-free drinks
• How they developed a genuinely good-tasting 6% wine in Bordeaux
• Why 6% became the sweet spot for flavour, balance and occasion
• The creation of the Mid-Strength Collective
• Building a new category in drinks rather than just a new product
• Retail growth, subscriptions, supermarkets, and the next phase of expansion
This episode is perfect for:
• Drinks founders and entrepreneurs
• Anyone building a challenger brand
• People interested in the future of alcohol consumption
• Wine lovers looking for smarter ways to enjoy it
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