Press Release Details

MIAMI & DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits (“Southern Glazer’s”)—the largest North American wine and spirits distribution company—announced today that it has expanded distribution agreements in the Pacific Northwest with Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, Washington’s founding winery. The market expansion includes Alaska, Oregon, Utah, western Washington State and Wyoming; bringing the total alignment with Southern Glazer’s in the U.S. to 26 states. The five-year agreement represents a long-term commitment by both companies to grow the Ste. Michelle Wine Estates portfolio in this important domestic wine region.

“Ste. Michelle Wine Estates is the dominant winery in Washington and a powerhouse in the Pacific Northwest,” commented Wayne Chaplin, CEO of Southern Glazer’s. “Aligning with us in these markets enables them to further leverage synergies in our businesses and accelerate growth of their premium wine brands.”

“Southern Glazer’s and Ste. Michelle Wine Estates have had an incredible 30-year partnership,” added Mel Dick, Senior Vice President of Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits and President of the Company’s Wine Division. “We look forward to building on this amazing foundation and continuing to champion outstanding Washington wines in the marketplace.”

Some of Ste. Michelle Wine Estates signature brands include Chateau Ste. Michelle, Columbia Crest, 14 Hands, and Red Diamond.

“For nearly 30 years, the Southern team has grown the Washington wine category across its 20-plus markets,” said Ted Baseler, CEO of Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. “Assigning Ste. Michelle’s Pacific Northwest business to the Southern Glazer’s team joins two premier organizations who have unmatched 50-year legacies in the wine industry.”

“We are looking forward to expanding our long-term partnership with Southern Glazer’s to include the Pacific Northwest,” added Dan Heller, Executive Vice President, Sales, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. “Southern Glazer’s has built an outstanding distribution platform in our home market. There is no doubt that they are best positioned to grow our share in the marketplace.”

Southern Glazer’s has made significant investments to position the Company as a leader in wine. It has more certified wine experts than any other North American wine and spirits distributor. Its employees have successfully completed more than 5,000 wine, sake and spirits education programs, from introductory to master-level achievements.

These include:

• Over 2,800 Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) wine & spirits certifications;
• 19 WSET Level 3 Awards in Sake;
• 1,600 Level 1 Court of Master Sommeliers®;
• 120 CMS Certified Sommeliers;
• 20 CMS Advanced Sommeliers;
• 14 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 Ste. Michelle Wine Estates

Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, located outside of Seattle, Washington, has a distinguished history that dates back to 1934. The company pioneered vinifera grape growing in Washington State while wines under the Ste. Michelle label were first introduced in 1967. Today, Ste. Michelle owns more than 3,900 vineyard acres across Washington, Oregon and California with key sites certified with the LIVE, Salmon Safe or Napa Green designations. Ste. Michelle’s ‘String of Pearls’ wine portfolio represents owned or imported brands, all demonstrating the producers’ unwavering commitment to creating distinctive, high-quality wines from authentic estate vineyards. Chateau Ste. Michelle, its cornerstone winery, enjoys winemaking partnerships with some of the world’s most distinguished vintners: Col Solare is an alliance with Tuscany’s Piero Antinori, Eroica Riesling is a partnership with the Mosel’s Ernst Loosen and Tenet is a collaboration with Michel Gassier and Philippe Cambie of France. Ste. Michelle’s charitable giving program supports some 400 non-profit organizations annually and has provided more than $3 million for scholarships for high-achieving, low-income students at Washington universities. The company also was the principal fundraiser for Washington State University’s viticulture and enology institution, the Ste. Michelle Wine Estates Wine Science Center.

Ste. Michelle’s Washington portfolio includes: Chateau Ste. Michelle, Columbia Crest, 14 Hands, Col Solare, Northstar, Spring Valley Vineyard, Merf, Intrinsic, Seven Falls and Domaine Ste. Michelle sparkling wines. In California, the company owns Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars (with Italy’s Antinori family), Conn Creek (Napa Valley), and Patz & Hall (Sonoma). Ste. Michelle also owns Erath, in Dundee, Oregon. The company became the exclusive U.S. importer in 2006 for the acclaimed Marchesi Antinori wine portfolio of Italy and Chile’s Haras de Pirque wines, for Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte of France in 2009, for New Zealand’s Villa Maria Estate in 2010, and for Spain’s Torres in 2014.