Dry Fly Releases New Cocktails Made in Collaboration with Charlie Wagner – Featuring a Rising Star in the Wine World, Bonanza Wine

Dry Fly Releases New Cocktails Made in Collaboration with Charlie Wagner – Featuring a Rising Star in the Wine World, Bonanza Wine

For Immediate Release

Spokane, WA (May 8, 2025) – Dry Fly Distilling is pleased to announce its first new release since winemaker Charlie Wagner became majority owner last August. Four new wine-based cocktails in the RTD category will feature inclusion of Bonanza wine, a hugely popular and fast-growing offering in the Wagner family portfolio. 

Made from natural ingredients and real fruit, the cocktails break new ground and are highly unusual. These new Dry Fly RTDs use wine as the base instead of spirits and are produced through a proprietary process that creates a unique and exciting flavor profile.

“This is exactly the type of product we aimed to create when I joined Dry Fly,” said Charlie Wagner. “It’s a true collaboration. At Caymus, we work to be at the top of our game in what we do, just like the team at Dry Fly. What’s exciting is coming together as taste makers. Dry Fly probably wouldn’t have done this on its own, and I wouldn’t have done it without them.” 

The four new RTDs feature a range of intriguing flavors: Huckleberry Twist, Jalapeño Margarita, Margarita Remix and Watermelon Squeeze. Crafted with natural ingredients such as huckleberries grown wild in Washington, Idaho and Montana, the drinks taste like a custom cocktail you would order at a bar, living up to their names. Whether it’s a kick of spice or the essence of real fruit, the true natural flavors of each cocktail shine through. 

“It’s thrilling to work with Charlie to make something that’s not just innovative, but tastes amazing,” said Patrick Donovan, President of Dry Fly. “His creativity and collaboration have enabled us to add something unique to the RTD category in a matter of months. This is an exciting time at Dry Fly, and we consider it just the beginning of what we can do together.” 

 With packaging that displays the Bonanza name, the ready-to-drink 12-ounce cans will be distributed across the U.S. market. Dry Fly recently secured a strategic partnership with Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits for distribution of its products. 

“We are excited about Dry Fly for all the reasons you can see with this new release,” said Louis Zweig, Senior Vice-President of Commercial Operations at Southern Glazer’s. “Its craftsmanship, focus on innovation, and ability to move quickly to bring specialty new products to market. Having Charlie on board with his expertise not just in winemaking but connecting with consumers gives Dry Fly a competitive edge and ability to grow.” 

Bonanza wine is the base component used in the RTDs, and the release should demand strong positioning in the market. Bonanza wine has taken off in popularity – it has won the Hot Brand Award for two consecutive years (2023 and 2024) from Impact, a leading trade publication. Recent Nielsen data shows that Bonanza is number 4 among all Cabernet wines in the U.S. market and the number 2 fastest-growing Cabernet in dollar volume at any price. It will be key that this popular wine, with its unique character, is the foundation for the new Dry Fly RTDs.  

In addition, the cocktails will have a distribution advantage because they are wine-based and can be sold at convenience stores, while spirits-based RTD’s cannot. This should result in increased sales and a far greater number of points of distribution. 

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About Dry Fly Distilling

Dry Fly Distilling began with Don Poffenroth and a good friend, knee-deep in a Pacific Northwest River, just outside the lie on a scenic bend. The two friends discussed how fortunate they were to live, work, and play in one of the most amazing places on earth. That conversation hatched an idea to find a way to share their mutual love of hand-crafted spirits and the natural beauty and purity of the Northwest. Dry Fly Distilling was born.

Dry Fly embraces the farm-to-bottle approach for all of their products. Grain is sourced from family farms located within 30 miles of the distillery. Dry Fly Gin also boasts a locally sourced botanical deck. With each spirits-based product, consumers can be sure they are getting the finest quality and a totally grain-to-glass operation.

About Bonanza 

Bonanza was introduced in 2019 by Chuck Wagner, who co-founded Caymus Vineyards in 1972 with his late parents, Lorna and Charlie Wagner Sr. Produced from diverse parts of California, it is a Cabernet Sauvignon that is both accessible and enjoyable. Bonanza calls back to a simpler time, when Charlie Sr. would enjoy a good glass of wine (always in moderation) with lunch or dinner. It celebrates the day-to-day pleasures of life, along with the thrill of discovery, as the Wagner family explores California’s farmland. The name Bonanza refers to a “found fortune,” in this case the riches of vineyards throughout the state that are capable of making delicious wine. 

Bonanza is part of Wagner Family of Wine, which offers diverse wines from Napa Valley, other parts of California and beyond. For five decades, the Wagner family has pursued the production of fine Cabernet, and Caymus has been established as one of the region’s most celebrated wines. Today, the business remains entirely owned and operated by Chuck and the next generation, siblings and winemakers Charlie and Jenny Wagner. Together they produce a distinctive range of varietals that have demonstrated strong, ongoing appeal to a wide array of consumers. The family now runs two wineries that are open to the public, Caymus Vineyards in Rutherford, Napa Valley, and nearby Caymus-Suisun.

Charlie Wagner leads the partnership with Dry Fly as a separate venture from Caymus and Wagner Family of Wine. 

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