Gomberg, Fredrikson & Associates' Publications Acquired by Wine Communications Group and BW166

SAN RAFAEL, Calif., March 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The wine industry's leading media and marketing company, Wine Communications Group, has partnered with beverage alcohol advisory firm BW166 to acquire the publishing business of Gomberg, Fredrikson & Associates (GFA), the respected and authoritative industry economic analyst and publisher of The Gomberg-Fredrikson Report.

Hugh Tietjen, chairman of Wine Communications Group, and Jon Moramarco, founder and managing partner of BW166, announced the acquisition March 1.

"We are happy to be able to continue the legacy of accurate, exhaustive, in-depth market research and reporting that Jon Fredrikson has so firmly established," said Tietjen and Moramarco in a joint statement. "With the considerable additional data and analytical resources that our two companies bring to the deal, the GFA publications will provide even more valuable services."

The new owners are buying the interest in GFA that has been held by WX since 2000. WX (formerly Winery Exchange) is a leading supplier of national and exclusive brands of wine, beer and spirits.

"Gomberg-Fredrikson has been an integral part of the growth of WX into the company we are today," said Peter Byck, CEO of WX. "We have enjoyed our partnership with Jon & Eileen Fredrikson and wish them continued success going forward."

All reports currently being supplied to GFA clients will continue uninterrupted, and Jon Fredrikson will initially continue to author The Gomberg-Fredrikson Report.

Wine Communications Group currently owns Wines & Vines and Wine Business Monthly magazines, Winejobs.com and their related industry research and events businesses. The extensive databases and data analytics of Wines Vines Analytics and BW166 will be linked to existing GFA reporting to provide the wine industry's most extensive and comprehensive data to clients.

In addition to producing the historic GFA reports, including the Gomberg-Fredrikson Report, the WINEDATA Wine Pricing Report and the Distilled Spirits Pricing Monitor, under the new ownership GFA also will offer clients the industry data reporting of BW166 and the Distributor Market Service from Wines Vines Analytics.

GFA is widely quoted as the authoritative, nationwide source on wine production and sales statistics and analysis. Jon and Eileen Fredrikson have operated the professional consulting firm since 1983. On an ongoing basis, they will separately continue to operate their consulting and real estate practice as Fredrikson & Co.

Jon Fredrikson said, "Eileen and I are pleased that the wine industry reports initially created by Lou Gomberg so many decades ago will be under the stewardship of Hugh Tietjen and Jon Moramarco. We have a great deal of respect for these knowledgeable industry veterans."

About BW166.com

BW166 provides advisory services and publications across a broad range of functions using the knowledge acquired in running beverage alcohol companies for more than 20 years. Located in Santa Rosa, Calif., BW166 publishes The Total Beverage Alcohol Overview and beer, wine and spirits annual reviews, among other reports. Jon Moramarco, the managing partner of BW 166 LLC, has operated as a CEO of various companies with net sales spanning from $50 million to over $1 billion. He has had operational responsibility for production facilities and brands from 5,000-case capacity to well over 10 million cases in many of the major wine producing and wine consuming countries of the world.

About Wine Communications Group

Wine Communications Group, Inc. is the leading information and services provider for the wine industry. The company has put together a suite of products that bring to the industry practical information, cutting edge research, recruiting tools, daily news services and a comprehensive directory. The flagship publications in print and digital formats are the two largest circulation wine industry magazines, Wines & Vines, founded in 1919 and based in San Rafael, Calif., and Wine Business Monthly, founded in 1994 and located in Sonoma, Calif. Wine Communications Group also produces the annual Wines & Vines Directory & Buyers Guide, Wine Business Insider newsletter, and provides multiple other services to wineries including the leading hiring resource, Winejobs.com. The firm created the Wines Vines Analytics team to maintain the most authoritative database on wineries in North America, built the Distributor Market Service to match brands and distributors in major markets, and provides Online Marketing Systems for suppliers to the wine, beer and spirits industries. The company also produces multiple targeted events throughout the year, including the Innovation + Quality (IQ) conference, Wine Industry Technology Symposium, Wines & Vines Packaging Conference and numerous others. WinesandVines.com; WineBusiness.com

About Gomberg, Fredrikson & Associates

Gomberg, Fredrikson & Associates is an authoritative industry economic analyst and publisher continuing the traditions begun in 1948 by wine industry pioneer Louis R. Gomberg. Under the new ownership the firm will continue its respected, comprehensive collection and analysis of beverage alcohol data and publish The Gomberg-Fredrikson Report, the WINEDATA Wine Pricing Report and the Distilled Spirits Pricing Monitor. GFA also will offer clients the industry data reporting of BW166 and the Distributor Market Service from Wines Vines Analytics. GFA clients include major wine producers, importers, distributors, financial institutions and other suppliers to the wine trade. GFAwine.com

About Fredrikson& Co.

Jon and Eileen Fredrikson will separately continue to operate their consulting and real estate practice as Fredrikson & Co. As America's oldest consulting firm specializing in wine industry matters, the firm offers a broad range of consulting services in wine industry economics, strategic market planning and wine property acquisitions and divestitures

About WX

WX produces national and exclusive brands of wine, beer and spirits for retailers around the world. Founded in 1999, the company sells over 6 million cases per year in 12 countries, and sources from 17 countries. WX's international client base includes retailers such as Kroger, Whole Foods, Total Wine & More, Tesco, Sainsbury, Aldi and CVS. The company's portfolio of national brands includes Chronic Cellars, Our Daily Wines, Orleans Hill and Echelon. WX has seven full-time winemakers and produces many of its wines at its own bottling line in Sonoma County.

CONTACT:

Wine Communications Group
Chet Klingensmith, publisher, Wines & Vines
415 453-9700 ext. 111, [email protected]

Jim Gordon, editor, Wines & Vines
415-453-9700 ext. 108, [email protected]

BW166
Jon Moramarco, managing partner, BW166
707 579 3780, [email protected]

WX
Oren Lewin, senior vice president of marketing & strategy
[email protected]
415-382-5908

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SOURCE Wine Communications Group