Renegade Lemonade heads to Trader Joe’s with fall hot toddy wine

Renegade Lemonade, the Georgia wine brand founded by Brady and Alex Reiter, is launching a cinnamon brown sugar Hot Toddy at Trader Joe’s stores nationwide starting October 5. The limited-release seasonal wine turns the couple’s basement recipe into a private-label fall item sold while supplies last.

Why it matters: - Renegade Lemonade is moving from a niche Georgia brand to a national retail shelf through Trader Joe’s fall lineup. - The limited release gives the lemon-based wine brand a seasonal use case beyond summer and puts a homegrown recipe in front of shoppers nationwide.

What happened: - Renegade Lemonade and Trader Joe’s created a cinnamon brown sugar Hot Toddy for the chain’s fall private-label lineup. - The wine launches October 5 at Trader Joe’s stores nationwide that sell wine, while supplies last. - The product is bottled at 12% alcohol by volume. - The release uses wine made from 100% lemons and adds cinnamon and brown sugar.

The details: - Brady and Alex Reiter founded Renegade Lemonade in Dallas, Georgia, in 2020. - The couple started by experimenting with lemon wine during the pandemic in their basement. - The hot toddy idea began in 2022 as the Reiters looked for a winter serving option for a wine associated with summer. - The original recipe combines one bottle of Renegade Lemonade wine, two tablespoons of light brown sugar and one cinnamon stick in a small slow cooker for two to three hours. - The full recipe is available as the company’s drink recipe page. - Renegade Lemonade says its wines are built around an approachable, playful “fun wine, not fine wine” approach. - The company also describes itself as making wine from 100% lemons and designed for everyday gatherings and celebrations. - The company’s main site is Renegade Lemonade.

Between the lines: - Trader Joe’s is using a seasonal, limited-time beverage to test a story-driven product with a clear origin story. - The launch also shows how specialty beverage brands can scale by pairing a local identity with a national retailer. - Brady Reiter said the collaboration represents years of work and a chance to share the company’s Georgia story with customers across the country.

What’s next: - Shoppers can look for the Hot Toddy at Trader Joe’s beginning October 5, but only while supplies last. - Customers who miss the retail release can make the original version at home using Renegade Lemonade’s published recipe. - The company is positioning the launch as a broader introduction to lemon wine in colder months, not just a single seasonal drop.

The bottom line: - Renegade Lemonade is turning a basement-made winter recipe into a national seasonal product, giving Trader Joe’s shoppers a lemon wine twist on a cold-weather classic.