Are you a restaurant owner, tired of losing business to the bar next door? Maybe you’re a convenience store owner losing customers to the liquor store across the street? At San Gabriel Beverage Group, we’ve developed Spirit Flavored Wines to help solve these issues and help you make money!

My name is Nick Capriccio, Owner and President of San Gabriel Beverage Group, and ’ve been working for my family’s beer, wine and spirits wholesaler, Garvey Wholesale, since I was 10 years old (no that’s not a typo, labor laws don’t apply to Italian family businesses). As a Cash and Carry business, Garvey Wholesale has hundreds of “wine-only” licensed customers who struggle to keep pace with spirit-selling competitors. Tired of having limited options to sell to these customers, my dad, Phil Capriccio, created our first Spirit Flavored Wines in 2009 and we have been servicing restaurants and convenience stores ever since.

So, what are Spirit Flavored Wines? 

Spirt Flavored Wines are exactly what they sound like. Wines that taste like spirits or liquor. Excuse me while I get technical… By definition, the Tobacco and Trade Bureau  (TTB) and your local Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) define “wine” as “a product made from fruit that is fermented and not distilled.” Now, each state has a different idea of the abv limit on wine, but in general the limits are 17%, 20% or 24%. Check with your local ABC to see which versions you can sell. We have them all!

Why would I want to sell Spirit Flavored Wines?

Many people have asked me this question and the answer is PROFIT. If you’re reading this, you probably like to run a profitable restaurant or retail business. If all you’re selling is beer and table wine, you are limiting the options for your customers and severely limiting your profits. Imagine this, you’re going out to lunch with a group of friends. You want to go to your favorite corner restaurant that only serves beer and wine, but someone in the group wants a margarita. Does this change your decision on going to your favorite corner Italian spot and now you’re driving across town to a place that has cocktails? With Spirit Flavored Wines you can get the same cocktail taste and experience as a spirt based cocktails. 

OK Nick, I get it. I want to make money, but I’ve tasted a “wine margarita” and it wasn’t very good.

You are probably right! There have been many products out there over the years that don’t taste very good. From Soju cocktails to poor quality agave wine cocktails, I’ve had some bad ones, but just like everything in 2024 the technology has changed quite a bit in developing these products. At San Gabriel Beverage Group we’ve have spent hundreds of hours developing our products and I am proud of where we are today. With our products you can create a great tasting cocktail, it just takes some creativity and knowledge. We are here to help!



If you’ve made it this far in this article, THANK YOU. This is my first attempt at a blog, and I appreciate you sticking with me this far. Over the next few weeks I will be diving in further to the topics above, our products, and the many profitable options you have as a wine-only convenience store or restaurant. Stay Tuned!