News Briefs for November 30, 2016

•As part of its ongoing Top 100 Wines of 2016 celebration, Wine Spectator has unveiled its number-eight and number-seven wines of the year. Number-eight is a Super-Tuscan icon, while number-seven is a Bordeaux blend from one of California’s most prestigious producers. Wine Spectator’s Top 10 wines of 2016 are being revealed over the course of this week at http://top100.winespectator.com/ and the full Top 100 list will be released on Monday, December 5.

•Treasury Wine Estates is adding two new wines to its fast-growing 19 Crimes brand from Australia. Newcomers include The Banished Dark Red ($12), a blend of Shiraz with touches of Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache; and The Warden ($25), also a Shiraz-based blend. Both are sourced from South Eastern Australia. 19 Crimes, which launched in 2013, crested a quarter-million cases in the U.S. last year, according to Impact Databank, earning “Hot Brand” honors.

•E.&J. Gallo’s Barefoot Bubbly has partnered with the Times Square Alliance and Countdown Entertainment to become the official bubbly of New Year’s Eve Times Square. The Gallo brand will toast with millions to herald the start of 2017 as the Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball drops at midnight. Barefoot Bubbly, retailing around $10 a bottle, grew 9% to 1.2 million cases in the U.S. market last year, according to Impact Databank. The Times Square Alliance is devoted to improving and promoting the celebrated crossroads at the heart of midtown Manhattan.

•Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits has announced a new structure and executive team for its U.S. control state business. Under the new alignment, Brad Waxman, Robinson Cooper and Kirt Clemens have all been named executive vice president-general manager of different control state territories. Waxman will oversee Pennsylvania; Cooper will helm Idaho, Iowa, Michigan, Montana, Ohio, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming; and Clemens will lead Alabama, Maine, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia. All three will report to Scott Oppenheimer, regional president, control states and Canada.

Tagged : 19 Crimes, Barefoot Bubbly, Countdown Entertainment, E.&J. Gallo, Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits, Times Square Alliance, Treasury Wine Estates

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