This Wine Store Totally Gets It

You have probably heard of Total Wine & More, as it is the country's largest independent retailer of wine. In 1991, brothers David and Robert Trone opened a small store in Delaware. Today, it operates 283 superstores across 29 states and continues to grow. It has more than 11,000 employees.

There are a bunch in Texas, including near me in Houston, the closes of which is a little over two miles away. I am a big fan of wine, but I am writing about the "more" at this store.

The More In This Store

In late 2023, Total Wine became the first retailer to sell hemp-derived cannabinoid beverages, launching in Minnesota. Cannabis law firm Husch Blackwell's Hilary Bricken said:

The reason why Total Wine selling “THC infused” drinks is a big deal is because this is a national liquor retailer that’s giving us a peek into the future where, very likely, alcohol and cannabis beverages will live in harmony together for consumers. This is a bold legal move in a very gray legal area, and the high business and legal risk tolerance speaks volumes when it comes to delivering on consumer demand. All in all, it’s a big step forward for the cannabis industry, and yet another business opportunity for enterprising liquor retailers as the law develops (in other states, too).

I first heard about Total Wines stepping into the cannabis market when Bayou City Hemp announced that it was selling products there in May 2024.

Total Wine & More is partnering with Bayou City Hemp Company and 8th Wonder, having added their full portfolio of hemp-derived THC beverages to all 38 stores throughout Texas and all five Louisiana locations. Products available include HOWDY, Beach Break, and 8th Wonder Cannabis.

I wrote about Bayou City Hemp earlier this week as a good cannabis products company. I just wrote about High Rise as a high qualify product maker, and they carry their products too.

Total Wine moved fast, and it moved in a big way. I have seen a lot of large cannabis companies put out press releases naming Total Wines as their retailer, including Curaleaf, Green Thumb Industries (through Agrify's Senorita) and Trulieve as they evolved past the state-regulated cannabis markets into the federally legal hemp-derived market.

Total Wine carries Delta-9 beverages in its stores and sells them online too. There are no Delta-8s! To find them, they are listed under THC, which is under beer. Their total THC item count exceeds 1000. Of these, two are from Canada (Collective Arts, which has just bought by Organigram), and one is from Albania. I like that they also educate their customers.

What Total Wine Does as a Good Corporate Citizen

From its website:

Age Matters

Our promise is not only to provide superior customer service, but also to provide responsible service. Our policy is simple: We don’t sell to minors. We understand the consequences that selling and serving alcohol to minors can have on our community.

To help in this effort, we don’t allow any person under the age of 21 to enter our store unless accompanied by an adult guardian of legal drinking age*. All parties in a group may be required to present identification. If you appear to be age 30 or under, our team members will ask for identification to ensure we are doing everything we can to prevent sales to minors. It’s our responsibility to our neighbors and the community.

Conclusion

I like the "more" in Total Wine & More! They are a big store doing big things, and they are doing it the right way: good products and customer education. The world is changing, and Total Wine is aggressively changing too.