How Total Wine Is Powering The Delaware Craft Beverage Scene

Delaware’s craft beverages are attracting serious attention, and local investments in total wine are helping the industry grow.

Many shoppers know Total wine etc. As the country’s largest independent alcohol retailer, few people recognize that its roots lie in Delaware. The company opened its first store in 1991 under the name Liqueur World. Its original Claymont location has grown to the flagship of more than 250 stores nationwide, and remains an important hub for the booming Delaware craft beverage scene.

Today, the 60,000-square-foot Claymont store is more than retail space. It is a platform for local producers, community supporters, and driving local economic growth. And as demand for locally produced beer, wine and spirit continues to grow, the role of full wine in supporting Delaware’s craft beverage movement has become more important than ever.

Delaware Craft Drinks Get in the Spotlight

Total Wine & more aggressively partner with Delaware producers to help them grow and succeed. The restaurant offers a wide range of locally crafted drinks, including outstanding names such as Dogfish Head, First State Brewing, Painted Stave Distilling, Big Oyster Brewery, Dewey Beer Company, Liquid Alchemy Beverages, associated craft beers, and Harvest Ridge Winery.

These brands are not buried behind. Total Wine offers customers outstanding shelving space, in-store tasting and event opportunities to showcase their homemade favorites. Shoppers often discover new products from new craft brewers and stills in Delaware, along with national and global labels.

Events often combine these local drinks with food from local artisans Crave & Grazefurther enhancing community collaboration.

Delaware’s favorites to make waves

• Dogfish Head BreweryFounded in 1995 at Rehoboth Beach, it is a pioneer of central ale and remains a cornerstone for craft beer on the East Coast.
• First State Brewing Released in Middletown in 2020 and was named the Best New Brewery in the US USA TODAY 2023. It is also the only home to Advanced Cicerone® in Delaware.
• Painted Stave DistillationIt operates in a restored cinema in Smyrna from the 1940s and creates a small batch spirit that includes the state’s first bottle inbobon.
• Big Oyster Brewery Lewis produces simple coastal beers such as beach traffic and hop-forward hammerhead IPA.
• Dewey Beer CompanyIt is known for its sloppy IPAs like swish pants and inventive fruit sours, including the country’s best brewpub in 2024 and is inspired by classic desserts.

Each of these brands benefits from improved visibility and accessibility due to Total Wine’s statewide retail presence.

All Wine Claymont Experience

Total Wine Claymont Store It’s not just the company’s biggest, it’s the launchpad. The weekly tastings often highlight local makers. Staff regularly recommend local picks. Customers experience a Delaware producer crafting in real time.

With over 8,000 wines, 3,000 spirits and 2,500 beers, the store attracts shoppers from across the region. But what people are returning is how it expresses it and elevates Delaware’s unique beverage culture.

Please refer

More than retail: Community investment

Total wine’s commitment to Delaware is far beyond the shelf of products. The company supports citizen life through philanthropy, community meeting spaces and job creation.

Claymont Store offers free “Book our roomprogram. Allow local organizations to use on-site classrooms for meetings and workshops. Meanwhile, consistent employment and training efforts by retailers provide hundreds of stable jobs with career paths, many leading to regional and national roles.

Why is it important?

Delaware’s craft beverage boom supports small businesses, promotes tourism and brings taste and identity to the local food and drink culture. When national chains such as Total Wine invest deeply in local producers, the entire ecosystem will be strengthened.

What began in the modest storefronts of Delaware over 30 years ago is now driving movement across the state, offering more opportunities than ever before, supporting small shopping, drinking locally and what’s being made here.

Whether you’re picking up a bourbon bottle, a hazy IPA, or something new to try this weekend, Total Wine makes it easy to explore and bring home the best in Delaware.