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JANUARY NEWS Lessons From a Wine Entrepreneur Winery Exchange CEO Byck sees growth in private-label wines D avis, Calif.���Peter Byck, co-founder, president and CEO of Winery Exchange, a full-service provider of private-label wine, beer and spirits brands for retailers, told an audience of students, faculty and wine industry professionals at the University of Califor- nia, Davis, in late November that privatelabel wine brands winesandvines.com total about 5% of Learn more: Search keywords the U.S. market but ���Byck labels.��� could reach 25%. Byck���s speech was arranged through the Walt Klenz Lectureship Series, which Ready to take youR caReeR to the next level? The Certified Specialist in Wine (CSW) opens the Door of Opportunity The Society of Wine Educators offers a comprehensive course of self-study to help you successfully pass the CSW exam. The CSW provides deep knowledge of the world of wine. The exams are offered throughout the year and across the USA. ���We invested in the CSW for our staff because a well rounded wine knowledge is essential to selling a first growth California brand��� ��� Brian Baker, VP Sales and Marketing, Chateau Montelena Winery Go ahead. Knock. email: For more information��� call: 209.481.0848 mchandler@societyofwineeducators.org 20 W in es & V i ne s JANUARY 20 13 is endowed by former Beringer CEO Walt Klenz. Byck discussed business lessons learned during the course of his career and tied them to highlights in the Winery Exchange���s company history, which began in 1999 in Novato, Calif., where its headquarters remain. The company now has international offices in the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Spain, managing more than 100 brands and 300 products. The company has a full-time winemaking staff for quality control and sources domestic grapes and wine from Napa (seven of its sub-AVAs), Sonoma (five AVAs), Lake County, Mendocino County, Monterey County, Paso Robles, Santa Barbara, Oregon and Washington state���and internationally from Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa and Spain. Winery Exchange does not own any winery facilities or vineyards, and just recently it started entering into grape-purchasing contracts. ���We���re a non-asset-based wine company for the world and act as a one-stop shop for retailers to come to us,��� Byck explained. Winery Exchange develops and manages private-label brands for U.K. retailers Tesco and Sainsbury���s as well as U.S. retailers such as Supervalu (brands include Jenica Peak, Pacific Flyway, Q Vineyards), Whole Foods (carries H&G, Grandmaster, PushPin Rose and others), Cost Plus World Market (Foodies) and many other brands for other retailers. One of the company���s largest private wine brand clients is the Cincinnati, Ohio-based Kroger supermarket chain with more than 2,400 U.S. stores that include Ralphs, Fred Meyer, Food4Less and others. Kroger���s private-label wine brands include Hawkstone, Parkers Estate and Arrow Creek. Winery Exchange has a five-year plan to grow Kroger���s control wine brand share from 2% in 2012 to 15% in 2017. A recent Kroger wine brand launch was Acronym GR8 Red Wine, dominated by Pinot Noir and Syrah, which hit the shelves in October 2012 in the $9-$15 per-bottle price range. The wine capitalizes on the current red blend trend and targets millennial-generation consumers using digital communication. Byck said 30,000 cases of Acronym sold during its first two months on the market. ���Jon Tourney SEE US AT UNIFIED, BOOTH #1004 u