Bronco Wine Company is to take on the sales of Wente Family Estates’ portfolio in the US.
The deal covers Wente Family Estates brands including its “flagship” Wente Vineyards label, as well as Murrieta’s Well, Angels Ink and Hayes Ranch.
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Distribution will continue to be handled by Wente Family Estates’ existing wholesale network. Until now, the company managed its own national sales operation.
“Wente fills a position nothing else in our house occupies: estate-grown, sustainably farmed, appellation-driven wines from Livermore Valley and Monterey,” Casey Tedd, the chief commercial officer at Bronco, told Just Drinks.
“Our own portfolio is strongest in accessible, value-driven tiers; our partners each hold distinct luxury and premium positions. Wente sits squarely in the premium estate tier between them – different appellations, different price points, different consumer occasions.
“That’s the selection discipline we’ve described before: complementary, not duplicative. The combined portfolio gives a wholesaler or retailer an exceptional offering at almost every price point on the shelf, from one organisation.”
Bronco grows and produces its own portfolio of brands, including Charles Shaw and Portlandia. It is also a sales agency partner for California wineries, including Jordan Winery, Lange Twins and Brilliant Mistake,
“Wente’s wholesalers keep the brands, the programmes and the pricing they have today; from a distributor’s or a retailer’s seat, day one should be invisible except for more people supporting the brands. Southern Glazer’s is the largest of those relationships, and our integration team is deliberately weighted toward it,” Tedd added.
He said the deal with Wente Family Estates was “a genuine resource addition, not a redistribution” from Bronco’s other contracts.
“We’re adding to our already large team a number of additions – covering California as key, the south-east, north-east, Florida, the Midwest, and national accounts focus. That team starts one hundred percent focused on Wente’s current footprint, while our sixty-plus existing managers add Wente to their books, so the brand goes from a handful of voices in market to nearly seventy,” Tedd said.
Established in 1883, Wente Family Estates is owned and operated by the Wente family. Its vineyards span California’s Livermore Valley, Arroyo Seco, and Monterey.
In a statement, CEO Peter Yeung said: “As the wine industry continues to evolve, we believe that strategic collaboration is key. The combination of our beautifully crafted wines and welcoming hospitality offerings with Bronco’s excellent sales organisation will enable success for both organistions and our valued industry partners.”
