Kroger is enhancing its wine selection and installing tasting bars at 147 locations nationwide. The Cincinnati-based grocer will also staff the select locations with trained stewards to guide shoppers’ wine browsing experiences. Kroger kicked off the program today in Newport, Ky., as reported by the Cincinnati Business Courier, though it did not specify the additional outposts that will offer the program.
The retailer boasts over 2,700 locations in 35 states and identified 147 locations where customers demonstrated a demand for an improved selection of foreign and premium wines. In addition to sampling bars and trained staff, the program’s locations will receive upgraded refrigerators and display cases. In the past, Kroger has offered its beverage teams courses from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET), one of the foremost alcohol certification programs in the U.S., which is likely to be the training benchmark for the new program’s staff.
The move comes amid the grocer’s push to expand its large-format footprint. Earlier this year, Kroger announced its plans to increase its number of Kroger Marketplace stores — the retailer’s multidepartment superstores spanning over 100,000 feet — in multiple states. Nielsen IQ data from 2025 shows grocery outpaced liquor stores in share of wine sales. Kroger, parent company to other grocery chains like Dillons, Fry’s, and Ralphs, has not specified whether the enhanced wine selections will apply to its satellite brands.
Kroger’s new wine portfolio will include labels from Bordeaux, Burgundy, Chablis, Sancerre, and Sicily — regions in France and Italy with stateside appeal. According to The Cincinnati Enquirer, Kroger says it plans to offer wines from both well-established and up-and-coming producers. “Kroger is making this investment in response to growing customer demand for affordable premium and luxury wines,” the grocer says in the statement.
