Pumpkin spice Chardonnay: When wine joins the autumn trend
Scheid Family Wines is leaning into the pumpkin-spice craze with a Chardonnay twist, highlighting how seasonal flavours and social media can reshape wine marketing.
From experiment to shelf
Scheid Family Wines is bringing back its limited-edition Pumpkin Spice Chardonnay this autumn, following a sold-out launch and a flurry of social media buzz last year. The wine, now available via Total Wine & More, Trader Joe’s and Festival Foods while stocks last, marries a classic coastal Chardonnay with warm pumpkin-spice notes.
The project began as a playful experiment: Chardonnay fermented inside a giant pumpkin. Though the result wasn’t bottle-ready, the ensuing flavour trials unearthed something intriguing. The winery’s winemaking team discovered that pumpkin spice and Chardonnay were a match “worth sharing.”
Breaking with tradition
“Pumpkin Spice Chardonnay is not your traditional wine and that is exactly the point,” reflects Heidi Scheid, executive vice-president. She stresses the winery’s ambition to spark conversation, curiosity and connection through approachable wines that bring people together.
Brand manager Ryan Sigala adds: “The wine world has plenty of rules and traditions but this product throws the rule-book out the window.” He describes the surprising reaction to last year’s debut—social posts, first-taste reactions, widespread chatter – and notes how seasonal flavours give consumers “permission to try something unique” and share in the excitement of the changing seasons.
Beyond PR: The power of pumpkin-spice marketing
While pumpkin spice has long dominated coffee, snacks and dessert menus, its entry into wine is unusual-and strategic. It’s a timely move that capitalises on a massive cultural moment that’s been study-backed and social-media fuelled.
Take Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL): it debuted in 2003 after a test in just 100 stores in Vancouver and Washington DC, and since then it has become the company’s most popular seasonal beverage worldwide. By 2024, the PSL was available in 79 of Starbucks’ 85 global markets, while net revenue surged from US$4.1 billion in 2003 to US$36.2 billion in 2024, AP news found.
Not just that – on the day the PSL returned in 2024, foot-traffic in US Starbucks jumped 24%, and North Dakota sites saw a staggering 45.5% spike, AP news and MarketWatch reported. The “PSL halo effect” has since been credited with boosting visits across major coffee chains, drawing in customers who may then try other seasonal offerings.
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Mentions of “pumpkin spice” across US menus rose by 33.8% between fall 2014 and fall 2024, underscoring how deeply the flavour has penetrated popular culture.
Q&A: Who’s Drinking Pumpkin Spice Chardonnay?
To understand more about who is buying into Pumpkin Spice Chardonnay—and how it gained traction—db asked Ryan Sigala, brand manager at Scheid Family Wines, about the audience, demographics and role of social media.
Who is the core audience for Pumpkin Spice Chardonnay—existing wine drinkers or new consumers coming from other categories?
“When we first created Pumpkin Spice Chardonnay, we didn’t start with a single core audience in mind, though we certainly expected it to appeal to Pumpkin Spice enthusiasts. After tasting it internally, we saw something unexpected: it resonated not only with our experienced wine drinkers but also with colleagues who typically choose other beverages over wine. That told us it has true crossover appeal. If we had to define the core audience, it’s really anyone open to trying something new, whether they’re already in the wine category or not.”
Have you noticed different reactions across age groups or demographics?
“We have seen all kinds of reactions across different groups, both on social media and in traditional media. Some people fall in love with it right away, others aren’t sure what to make of it, but almost everyone ends up smiling and wanting to talk about it. We especially enjoyed watching it shared in multigenerational groups, whether that’s kids of legal drinking age with their parents, or colleagues and friends. There is a lot of mystique around wine and it can be very intimidating. We wanted our Pumpkin Spice Chardonnay to feel approachable and playful, a wine for everyone. At its heart, it’s a reminder that wine can be fun.”
How central was social media to the wine’s success compared to traditional retail marketing?
“The funny thing is, we had no idea it would take off on social media and we didn’t have a social media plan for it. We just liked the wine, found a few buyers who liked it too, and were fortunate that they decided to bring it into their stores for the fall season. Then a few influencers with large followings posted about it organically and it turned into social media-fuelled word of mouth. From there, people started hunting it down and posting about getting their hands on it.”
What platforms have been most effective for driving buzz?
“TikTok was hands down the most effective for reaching younger consumers. YouTube also played a big role since a lot of influencers included Pumpkin Spice Chardonnay in their annual Pumpkin Spice hauls.”
Do you plan to collaborate with influencers or content creators to sustain momentum?
“We don’t have anything planned with influencers right now, but you never know. We love that the social media attention started organically and we’re enjoying the way it has grown authentically on its own.”
Why pumpkin-spice chardonnay matters
- Trend-hopping with credibility: Wine has historically been more cautious than coffee in chasing seasonal trends. Scheid’s move shows that with the right twist and storytelling, wine can tap into established cultural rhythms.
- Social media traction: The launch lit up feeds with photos, taste-test videos and reactions. That digital buzz transformed a niche novelty into a broader talking point – and likely lured in curious consumers beyond typical wine drinkers.
- Opportunity for wine category growth: By leaning into seasonal excitement, Scheid’s potentially makes wine feel more playful and accessible. Pumpkin-spice flavour provides a bridge for consumers who relish the PSL’s familiar seasonal comfort – but in a glass of wine.
Scheid Family Wines’ Pumpkin Spice Chardonnay isn’t just a novelty drop – it’s a calculated innovation riding alongside one of the most successful seasonal marketing phenomena of our era. As the wine re-enters key retailers this autumn, its return also invites a broader conversation: how the wine sector might embrace cultural trends, social media and flavour-driven moments to expand its audience – without losing authenticity.
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