Birdy The Drink Earns Bronze Medal At 2026 San Francisco RTD Competition
Northern Michigan's Woman-Founded Low-ABV Wine Spritzer Proves the Category Can Finally Taste Like Wine
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich., June 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Birdy the Drink, a low-ABV wine spritzer born on the shores of Northern Michigan, has earned a Bronze Medal at the 2026 San Francisco Ready-to-Drink Competition, hosted by The Tasting Alliance. The competition received more than 400 entries and is run by The Tasting Alliance, the organization behind the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, widely considered the most prestigious spirits competition in the world. A Bronze medal at a global RTD competition doesn't come with asterisks. Birdy's Hibiscus Lime Rosé earned it at 3% ABV. Because it tastes like wine. Good wine.
Low-alcohol wine has long carried a reputation problem. Products in the category are dismissed for tasting thin, sweet, or like juice with good intentions. Birdy was built to change that.
"We made Birdy because we wanted something real. Not a mocktail. Not a compromise. A wine that actually tastes like wine, that you want to drink on the boat or the golf course or the beach, and that lets you live the rest of your day. And the next. Having expert judges award it a medal knowing it was 3% ABV is everything we have been working toward."— Callie Gruman Furste, Co-Founder, Birdy the Drink.
A Family Business Rooted in Northern Michigan
Birdy is a family story. Gruman Furste built the brand alongside her own family and in partnership with Bonobo Winery, co-founded by Northern Michigan natives Carter and Todd Oosterhouse and their longtime family friend, winemaker Cornel Olivier, who brings more than 27 years of experience to every can. Every drop of Birdy is made with Michigan wine, by Michigan people, for the kind of days Northern Michigan was made for.
A New Kind of Option
Birdy was designed for the drinker who does not want to choose between living in the moment and feeling good tomorrow. Rather than a food pairing, Birdy is the wine that pairs with your hobbies and responsibilities. Not everyone who wants to drink less wants or needs to be sober. At 3% ABV, under 100 calories, low sugar, and gluten free, Birdy fits the life you are already living. A long day on the water. A round of golf. A picnic that goes long. And lets you embrace the next one, whether that's an early morning run, school drop off, or a full day of work.
The category is ready. According to NIQ Research, wine-based RTDs grew 14% in 2025, and the global low and no-alcohol beverage market surpassed $11 billion that same year. Consumers are choosing less, and they are looking for options that do not ask them to give anything up. Birdy is that option.
Birdy is distributed across Michigan by Great Lakes Wine and Spirits, available direct to consumer at birdythedrink.com, and carried at select retail locations throughout Western Michigan.
Live Today. Enjoy Tomorrow.™
birdythedrink.com
Contact: Callie Gruman Furste, Co-Founder Birdy the Drink, 330-714-1879, [email protected]
SOURCE Birdy the Drink
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