Apothic Collabs With Halloween Queen Heidi Klum for Seasonal Wine Bag Release

The newest trick (and treat) from E&J Gallo’s Apothic Wine is a bloody bag of red wine.

Ahead of October, the brand known for inky red blends partnered with queen of Halloween Heidi Klum on a package designed to resemble a blood transfusion bag. Apothic Type ‘A’ Blood Bag dropped online in limited numbers at 10:31 p.m. Thursday night.

The newest campaign from Gallo — which is the largest wine supplier in the U.S. and is driving the alternative packaging movement with innovations like TetraPaks — is an attempt at segueing its product into “adult party spaces,” Gallo’s vice president of power and ascending brands, Marshall Dawson, says.

“This is not a limited-time-offer of a different product,” Dawson says. “It’s a usage vehicle that connects with the idea that is fun, different, and occasion based.”

A purchase of Apothic Type ‘A’ Blood Bag comes as two, empty bags in a soft, red cooler for $10.31. Gallo formatted the release as a limited-time drop with hints at a possible second round of purchases opening later this month — a relatively new format within the broader wine industry that garners hype and intrigue.

Part of the Apothic and Klum collab is a chance for one fan and a guest to attend Klum’s megawatt Halloween party this year. With its black-and-red, gothic branding, Apothic has long associated itself with Halloween, but the partnership with Klum — who is known for showstopping costumes and hosting an annual, star-studded party — is a move to both boost Apothic’s presence during an already-lucrative season and expand to new consumers.

“Halloween has grown in the past few decades with billions of dollars,” Dawson says. “And there is an overlap in the Millennial to younger-Gen X audience, which I would call our core consumer and the same for Heidi. But because of her staying power and because of her scale, it’s a beautiful marketing program that helps us with our current consumer with a side opportunity to recruit new consumers.”

The non-breakable, resealable bags come as Apothic — whose flagship blend combines Zinfandel, Syrah, and Merlot, among other red grapes — releases 200-milliliter TetraPak cartons to markets, a move that Dawson envisions will recruit new drinkers.

Dawson already sees upticks in sales and brand engagement after announcing the collaboration on Tuesday.

“I can tell you right now: It’s working,” he says.

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