Press Release Details

Head of Southern Glazer’s Wine Division to Receive Prestigious Honor at the 2018 Wine Star Awards

MIAMI & DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits (“Southern Glazer’s”)—the world's preeminent distributor of beverage alcohol —announced today that the Company’s Senior Vice President and Wine Division President, Mel Dick, has been recognized with the Wine Star Lifetime Achievement Award by Wine Enthusiast magazine. Each year, Wine Enthusiast honors the individuals and companies that have made outstanding achievements in the wine and alcohol beverage world. Mr. Dick has been selected for the Lifetime Achievement Award for pioneering the wine industry as we know it today and building a portfolio of wines from around the world and spreading them across the U.S.

Interested in the wine and spirits business early on, Mr. Dick got his official start in the wine distribution world at the age of 21 in Gambarelli and Devito in New Jersey. Shortly thereafter, in March of 1958, he was hired by Gallo Wine Distributors of New Jersey. Later, in 1969, he accepted a job at Southern Wine and Spirits of America as General Sales Manager of Wine to develop the wine operations of the Company. Primarily responsible for the establishment of all aspects of the wine trade within the Company, he became Vice President of Wine in 1972 and assumed control of organization, sales, marketing, and supplier relations in all aspects of the Company's burgeoning wine business. In 1976, he became President of the Wine Division for Southern Wine and Spirits of America, and in 1984, he became a partner in the Company. In 1991, Mr. Dick acquired the additional title of Senior Vice President of Southern Wine and Spirits of America.

Commenting on the award, Dick said, “I love the business—it’s who I am, and it’s part of me, so to be recognized for doing what I’m passionate about is both humbling and rewarding. I found out a long time ago that to succeed, I was going to devote all of my time to the business and to family, and not make room for anything else.” He added, “It’s been a wonderful life…I’ve made friendships with the greatest wine and spirits producers, presidents of the United States, the greatest entertainers, athletes, kings and queens, all because they loved wine and wanted to talk about it.”

Wayne Chaplin, CEO of Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits added, “It’s easy to look back 50 years and forget about what the wine business looked like. Today’s huge wine list, the huge by-the-glass list, varietal wines—all of this stuff is second nature now, but in those days, it really wasn’t. Mel saw that way before anyone else and transformed the business.” He added, “Mel just never took no for an answer. There are many life lessons that he taught me over the last 34 years that I will never forget.”

Mr. Dick also improved staff education at Southern Glazer’s, enhancing the Company’s focus on training. As a result, Southern Glazer’s is approaching its goal of 10,000 employees who will have benefited from formal wine and spirits training. He is also the recipient of numerous awards from the wine and spirits industry throughout the world. In 1984, he was bestowed the French Ordre du Mérite D’Agricole. In 2001, he received the prestigious Legion of Honor, France’s highest honor, for his outstanding contribution to the French wine and champagne, spirits, and water industry and was elevated to Officier de la Legion D’Honneur in October 2010. In 2014, Mr. Dick was elevated to Commandeur du Mérite D’Agricole.

The winners of the 2018 Wine Star Awards will be announced in Wine Enthusiast’s special “Best of Year” issue and will be honored at the 19^th Annual Wine Star Awards, a black-tie gala, on January 28, 2019, at Nobu Eden Roc in Miami, Fla.

To learn more about the awards and nominees, click here.

About Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits

Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits is the world’s pre-eminent distributor of beverage alcohol, and proud to be a multi-generational, family-owned company. 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.