Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1025306
14 / the tasting panel / september 2018 INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits Appoints Anthony Capparelli as General Manager of South Florida S outhern Glazer's Wine & Spirits has appointed Anthony Capparelli to the position of General Manager of South Florida. Capparelli will report directly to Patrick Cassidy, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Florida. Capparelli has worked for Southern Glazer's for 14 years, transitioning from sales management to his most recent role as Vice President of On Premise for the South Florida division. "Anthony is a results- driven sales leader with a proven history of improv- ing processes, growing revenues, and developing top-performing sales teams," Cassidy said. "[He] is the perfect fit for this role and I am confident that he will take South Florida to even greater heights." Wine By Your Side Brings Convenience Tableside W ine By Your Side aims to revolutionize table service for both on- and off-premise wine drinkers with its three-piece wine-holder set, helping diners discover newfound convenience in a variety of settings by freeing up table space. The set touts a chrome-plated steel frame which attaches easily to the side of most tables, creating a freestanding base for a durable stainless-steel ice bucket with a double-walled interior to eliminate condensation. For red wine connoisseurs, a steel adapter shrinks the size of the bucket's opening to securely store wine bottles upright and at room temperature. For more information, visit enjoywinebyyourside.com. Precept Wine Acquires Truett-Hurst's Wholesale Business Unit P recept Wine has acquired Truett-Hurst, Inc., an innovative wine sales, market- ing, and production company based in Sonoma County that celebrated its tenth anniver- sary last October. The Truett- Hurst portfolio includes both national brands and exclusives created for retailers, including Albertsons, The Kroger Co., Trader Joe's, Total Wine & More, and several others. The acquisition gives Precept a foothold in the California wine market and bolsters its Grape & Grain exclusive label business, the fastest-growing portion of its portfolio which accounts for 35 percent of the company's annual sales. Combined, Precept and Truett-Hurst will produce more than 1 million cases of exclusive label wine annually; Truett-Hurst, mean- while, will retain its Dry Creek Estate and direct-to-consumer brands Truett Hurst and VML. As part of the acquisition, Phillip L. Hurst, President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director of Truett-Hurst, will join Precept to focus on national and exclusive brands. A veteran winemaker with more than three decades of experience, Hurst is one of the founders of Winery Exchange Inc.; as its Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing from 1999 to 2007, he helped grow the company to more than $100 million in sales in less than ten years.