News Briefs for March 26, 2024

•Winebow Imports is adding Uruguay’s Garzon to its Pioneer portfolio, joining brands like Bodega Catena Zapata from Argentina and Lapostolle from Chile. Part of the portfolio of Alejandro Bulgheroni, Garzon is located near the resort town of Punta del Este and produces varietals including Tannat, Marselan, Cabernet Franc, Albariño, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Petit Verdot. Key offerings in the U.S. include Reserva Tannat and Albarino ($22), single vineyard Tannat ($45), and icon wine Balasto ($160).

•Terlato Wine Group is expanding its spirits stable, partnering with Gabriel Boudier (part of Famille Piffaut Vins & Domaines), distiller of Fontbonne Herbal Liqueur. Terlato becomes Fontbonne’s exclusive sales and marketing agent in the United States starting next month. Fontbonne Herbal Liqueur, distilled from 26 plants, roots, and spices in Dijon, will be available in the U.S. in April and retails for $60 a bottle.

•Napa Valley, California’s Darioush winery has named Chris Avery as president. Avery has over two decades’ experience in the wine industry and most recently served as president of Patrimony Estate and executive vice president of sales and marketing at Daou, both of which were acquired by Treasure Wine Estates last fall in a deal worth up to $1 billion. Avery has also worked for Opus One, Hundred Acre Wine Group, and Jordan Vineyard & Winery. Darioush produces a line of luxury-priced wines that start at around $60 per bottle and go well over $300 per bottle for the winery’s Darius II Cabernet Sauvignon-heavy blends.

•Tequila Ocho, part of Heaven Hill Brands’ Samson & Surrey portfolio, has released new packaging for the its line of single estate Tequilas, seeing the brand’s look unified around the world for the first time. The brand sports a new textured label that names the field the agave was grown in, the altitude of the field, and the year of the harvest. The bottle itself is now textured and has a tapered neck for ease of use by bartenders. The new bottles are rolling out now in the U.S. and Mexico with the brand’s global markets following later in 2024. Tequila Ocho grew 52% to 60,000 cases in the U.S. last year, according to Impact Databank.

Tagged : Darioush, Garzon, Heaven Hill, Tequila Ocho, Terlato, Winebow

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