Here's Why XXL Wine Is So Popular

XXL Wines are making waves across the wine world. The brand — which has roots in Baltimore, Maryland — is known for its sweet, fortified wines. This wine style combines grape juice with a distilled spirit during production to boost the wine's final alcohol level and sustain the wine long-term. Common examples are port wine and dry or sweet vermouth. XXL Wines, which calls itself "moscato without manners," blends late-harvest moscato grapes with syrup and natural fruit flavors. This sugary combination yields boozy wines with 16% alcohol by volume (ABV), which is what makes XXL Wines so popular among younger generations, especially Generation Z and Millennials. 

For comparison, white wine contains between 7% to 14.5% ABV, depending on the varietal. Red wines have a naturally higher ABV ranging from 12% to 18%, due to the tannins found in grape skins. Regardless of ABV, a wine buzz (and wine drunk) hits differently. But it's safe to assume that an XXL Wines hangover is something you'd likely want to avoid at all costs.

XXL Wines come in a multitude of flavors, including Blackberry, Pineapple, Peach, Mango, Guava, Apple, and Strawberry & Grapes. The wines are best consumed cold, preferably between 46 to 53 degrees Fahrenheit, to enhance the aroma, flavor, and the overall sipping experience. You could serve XXL Wines in a chilled stem glass with frozen fruit in place of ice cubes to help keep the drink cooler for longer (and prevent dilution). If you're serving XXL Wines for a crowd, place the bottle in a wine chiller (or stash your wine bottle in the freezer) to keep it cool. Otherwise pick up some cans, which the brand just released, and keep them in the fridge or a cooler. 

Another great serving option is to use XXL Wines for the base of a sweet, fruity cocktail. The brand offers custom cocktail recipes tailored for each wine on its website and demonstrates how to make some of its signature cocktails — like the XXL Brandy Bramble — on its Instagram account. However you pour your XXL Wines high-octane sipper, remember to be XX-responsible when it comes to enjoying it.