The Wine Press: The Fall of the House of Southern

Today in Wine News

Rumors began circulating at the end of last week surrounding mass layoffs at Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits, the largest beverage distribution company in the United States. Unconfirmed reports say up to 3,200 Southern Glazer’s employees were laid off via Zoom, with many accounts claiming the fine wine division has been completely cut. 

With so much doom and gloom being reported about wine sales in the United States, are the layoffs at Southern Glazer’s a sign that the wine industry might actually be in trouble?

Keep listening to learn more.

Photo Credit: Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits

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Further Reading

• “Biggest U.S. Wine Distributor Slashes Staff” (W. Blake Gray/WineSearcher)

• The Reddit thread that started the rumor mill

  Mass Wine Wholesaler Layoffs Signal a Need for Change

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In Other News

Here are some highlights from the week:

A new wine consortium has formed in the Rattlesnake Hills AVA in Washington. Fourteen of the AVA’s wineries have banded together to form an organization dubbed “The Hills”. Their primary goal? Promote the vineyards from Rattlesnake Hills AVA as world-class sites for Washington wines. The original 14 vineyards and wineries include names like Andrew Will’s Two Blondes Vineyard, Dineen Vineyards, Sonrisa Vineyard, and Whitman Hill Winery.

• Press Release/Wine Industry Advisor

Over 9,000 bottles of mislabeled Portuguese wine have been seized by authorities. The wine had been deemed ready for market, but the wine had not been labeled or approved for sale by the IVV, or Institute of Vinha e do Vinho. The bounty seized is approximately valued at 19,000 Euro. There are no reports yet on which winemakers or production houses are involved.

• “More than 7,000 litres of wine seized by Portuguese authorities” (Louis Thomas/The Drinks Business)

And finally, 2024’s list of the World’s 50 Best Bars has been released. The list was announced at a ceremony in Madrid, Spain on Tuesday, October 22. Handshake Speakeasy in Mexico City sits as the current Number One, making Mexico City just the fourth city overall to capture the title of World’s Best Bar. Double Chicken Please still holds its place of honor as the highest ranking bar in the United States.

• The World’s 50 Best Bars (1-50)

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That’s all the news this week. Thank you for listening to The Wine Press!

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We’ll be back next Thursday with a new crop of wine news. Until then, cheers and happy drinking!