Press Release Details

- Adds California, bringing partnership with Southern Glazer’s to a total of 18 markets -

MIAMI & DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits (“Southern Glazer’s”)—the largest North American wine and spirits distribution company—today announced that it has expanded and extended its distribution agreements with Delicato Family Vineyards. With the new agreements, Southern Glazer’s will now sell Delicato’s full portfolio of wines in California. In addition, Delicato has signed a five-year extension of its distribution agreements in the existing 17 U.S. markets already represented by Southern Glazer’s. Delicato Family Vineyards produces and markets a diverse portfolio of top-selling, nationally distributed brands, including Bota Box, Gnarly Head, Noble Vines Collection and Z. Alexander Brown.

Southern Glazer’s now represents the Delicato wine portfolio in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Washington.

“Every new market we add to our sales footprint for Delicato enables us to deliver even more value to their business,” said Mel Dick, Senior Vice President of Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits and President of the Company’s Wine Division. “We are proud to have represented Delicato for more than two decades and look forward to many more years of growth and success.”

Earlier this year, Delicato announced a strategic alliance with V2 Wine Group of Sonoma, California. The alliance supports Delicato’s ongoing premiumization and growth strategy, and compliments the company’s existing portfolio of wines from some of the best growing regions in the world.

“In addition to our industry expertise in wine, Delicato has access to our National Accounts team, enabling them to leverage consumer insights and execute programs across our entire network,” added Steve Slater Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Company’s Corporate Wine Division. “This structure, along with our highly-trained salesforce and industry-leading data insights, will enable Delicato to continue to accelerate growth through premiumization and innovation.”

“Southern Glazer’s has played a large role in helping Delicato become a top ten wine company, and we greatly value all of our relationships with their team throughout the country,” added Chris Indelicato, President and CEO, Delicato Family Vineyards. “Everyone at Delicato is excited about the new opportunities as our company and portfolio continue to evolve in this dynamic market.”

Southern Glazer’s salesforce supporting Delicato is strengthened by its national wine education team, made up of the industry’s most highly-trained experts who hold certifications including Master Sommelier® (MS), Master of Wine (MW), or Certified Wine Educator (CWE). The education team consists of 15 Master Sommeliers®, including two of only 23 female Master Sommeliers® in the world. They are led by Eric Hemer, MS, MW, CWE and Senior Vice President and Corporate Director of Wine Education for Southern Glazer’s.

Southern Glazer’s has more certified wine experts than any other North American wine and spirits distributor. Its employees have successfully completed more than 3,500 wine, sake and spirits education programs, from introductory to master-level achievements. These include:

• Over 1,100 Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) wine & spirits certifications;
• 19 WSET Level 3 Awards in Sake;
• 1,600 Level 1 Court of Master Sommeliers®;
• 117 CMS Certified Sommeliers;
• 20 CMS Advanced Sommeliers;
• 15 Master Sommeliers®;
• Over 600 Certified Specialists of Wine (CSW);
• 16 Certified Wine Educators (CWE); and
• 117 Certified Specialists of Spirits (CSS).

About Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits

Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits is North America’s largest wine and spirits distributor, and the preeminent data insights company for alcoholic beverages. The Company has operations in 44 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, Canada, and the Caribbean, and employs more than 20,000 team members. Southern Glazer’s urges all retail customers and adult consumers to market, sell, serve, and enjoy its products responsibly. For more information visit www.southernglazers.com. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @sgwinespirits and on Facebook at Facebook.com/SouthernGlazers.

About Delicato Family Vineyards

Delicato Family Vineyards is a family-owned company founded in 1924. Four generations of the Indelicato family have overseen vineyard operations and winemaking at their California properties, maintaining the unparalleled standards for which they are known. The Delicato portfolio includes a unique range of brands such as Bota Box, Gnarly Head, Noble Vines, Black Stallion Estate Winery, Z. Alexander Brown, Diora, Belle Ambiance, Brazin, HandCraft Artisan Collection, Irony, Loft, and Earth Wise. For more information, visit www.delicato.com.