Surplus Wine & Spirits Marketing Service

Turn overstocked inventory into revenue — without a broker.

Wine and spirits producers across the country are carrying historic surplus. We connect overstocked wineries and distilleries directly with real buyers — wholesalers, retailers, hospitality groups, and compliant direct-to-consumer channels — as a marketing partner, never as a distributor. We never take title to your product and never touch payment for the alcohol itself.

The Market Right Now

A historic surplus, hitting small and mid-sized producers hardest.

The oversupply is real, it is well documented, and it is not going away on its own in 2026.

~30%
More wine inventory than the market should ideally carry, as of one 2025 industry estimate — with excessive inventory levels persisting across all tiers into 2026.
Silicon Valley Bank, State of the US Wine Industry
16.1M
Barrels of bourbon aging in Kentucky as of early 2025 — more than three times the volume held during the 1985 “whiskey glut.”
Industry reporting on the 2025-26 bourbon surplus
85%
Of US wineries produce fewer than 5,000 cases a year — the small and family-owned producers most exposed to this downturn, and the least likely to have their situation covered in the press.
Industry data cited via Azur Associates

How We Help

Three ways to move surplus — matched to what's legally right for your inventory.

Wine and spirits face different rules for direct shipping, so we built distinct tracks for each situation rather than a one-size-fits-all pitch.

All 50 States

B2B Trade Connections

We connect your surplus bulk wine, cased goods, or barreled spirits directly with wholesalers, retail chains, restaurant and hospitality groups, and private-label buyers.

  • Buyer targeting using lead-scoring, not cold calls
  • Sales materials built to sell surplus, not signal distress
  • You keep full ownership until a deal closes
Success-based fee — you pay only when we deliver a buyer.
Where You Hold a DTC Permit

Compliant DTC Demand Generation

For wineries with a direct-shipping permit, we drive qualified consumer demand to your own storefront — built on infrastructure that handles state-by-state compliance automatically.

  • AI-driven “reserve” and library-wine storefront content
  • Email and CRM nurture to existing and new customers
  • Advertising geo-fenced automatically to states where you're licensed to ship
Monthly retainer plus a performance component tied to incremental sales.
Select States

Spirits DTC

A narrower, carefully geo-fenced version of our DTC service for distilleries, scoped to the smaller set of states where direct spirits shipping is currently legal.

  • Same compliance-driven geo-fencing as our wine DTC work
  • Layered alongside Trade Connections, not a replacement for it
  • Built for producers ready to test direct consumer demand
Same structure as our wine DTC service, scoped to your licensed states.

From first conversation to a closed sale.

A straightforward process, built so you always know what's happening with your inventory and your brand.

01

Qualify

A short conversation about what's surplus, your licensing, and whether you want a fast liquidation or a longer-term sales channel.

02

Structure

A simple agreement confirming we never take title to your product and never handle payment for the alcohol itself — only our marketing fee.

03

Campaign

We build buyer lists and sales materials, or launch a compliant DTC campaign — whichever track fits your situation.

04

Report & Close

Weekly visibility into what's working, transparent reporting, and a clear path to your next step once the surplus moves.

Why Producers Work With Us

We are a marketing partner. We are never your distributor.

That distinction is the foundation of how we operate, in every state, on every engagement.

We never take title

Your product stays yours — or moves directly to the licensed buyer we introduce — at every step.

We never touch alcohol payment

Payment for product flows directly between you and the buyer. We only ever bill our own marketing fee.

Your fulfillment stays as-is

We never warehouse or ship anything. Whatever fulfillment relationship you already have continues unchanged.

Get In Touch

Tell us what you're carrying.

Whether it's a few barrels, a bulk lot, or a broader inventory position, a short conversation is the fastest way to find out if we're a fit — no obligation, no broker fees to explore it.

A note on how we operate: Founders Reserve provides marketing and buyer-introduction services only. We are not a licensed alcohol distributor, wholesaler, retailer, or broker, and this page is not an offer to buy or sell alcohol. Any transaction in alcohol products occurs directly between licensed parties.

We typically respond within one business day. Everything shared here is treated as confidential.