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September 2018 WINES&VINES 35 DISTRIBUTOR MARKET 2018 Heidelberg Distributing Co. Headquarters: Dayton, Ohio States served: 2 Offices: 9 U.S. wineries represented: 85 Co-chairmen: Al Vontz III and Vail Miller Sr. CEO: Vail Miller Jr. Down from last year's No. 6 spot to No. 8 this year is Heidelberg Distributing out of Dayton, Ohio. The family-owned company distributes beer, spirits and non-alcoholic beverages in ad- dition to wine. The company began with German-born im- migrant Albert W. Vontz who, in 1907 at age 22, came to the Ohio as a trained brewer and eventually invested in two local taverns. Post- Prohibition, he helped open Cincinnati's Vienna Brewery and later drove a truck for Heidelberg Brewery in Covington, Ky., delivering beer to grocery stores and restaurants in Dayton. Though the brewery closed in 1946, Vontz kept the Heidelberg name and offered his delivery and distribution services to other breweries. In the 1950s, wine represented a large part of the operation's sales, but it also acquired the Anheuser-Busch franchise in Cincinnati and later the Budweiser distributorship. Today, Heidelberg, employs 1,600 associ- ates, represents 740 suppliers, including 85 wineries, and serves 26,000 retailers in Ohio and Kentucky. Opici Family Distributing Headquarters: Glen Rock, N.J. States served: 8 Offices: 9 U.S. wineries represented: 250 CEO: Linda Opici Another new name to the Top 10 Distributor's list is Opici Family Distributing, headquartered in Glen Rock, New Jersey. The fourth-genera- tion, family-owned wine and spirits wholesaler traces its roots back to 1913 when husband and wife Joseph and Esther Opici, Italian im- migrants, began importing wines from Italy and distributing them within their home state of New Jersey. In 1934 the couple established the American Beverage Distribution Company of New Jersey — and from that, a family busi- ness was born. During the 1990s, the Opicis expanded their distribution business, purchasing wholesale operations in Connecticut and Florida; by 2013, they had markets in Washington D.C., Maryland and Delaware. Today Opici Family Distributing serves 250 wineries across seven eastern U.S. states, and Washington D.C. Wine Warehouse Headquarters: Los Angeles, Calif. States served: 1 Offices: 2 U.S. wineries represented: 76 Chairman and CEO: Jim Myerson Senior vice president: Linda Myerson Dean President and COO: Greg Akins Down from its 2017 No. 7 spot, Wine Ware- house, headquartered in Los Angeles, Calif., takes the No. 10 position this year. The company operates only in California, distributing prod- ucts from 76 wineries within the state, accord- ing to Wines Vines Analytics. The company was founded in 1973, when brothers Bob and Jim Meyerson, avid wine col- lectors, saw an opportunity to bring fine wines from abroad to the then new and fast-growing U.S. market. By 1978, Wine Warehouse was an established wholesaler of premium wine from around the world, but also represented almost half of the bonded wineries in Napa Valley. Today, second-generation, owners Jim My- erson and Linda Myerson Dean, son and daughter of Bob Myerson, take the company's leadership positions as CEO and senior vice president, respectively. Wine Warehouse's port- folio includes domestic wines ranging from top-volume producers like E. & J. Gallo Winery to boutique brands like Eberle Winery, Far Ni- ente Winery and Nickel & Nickel. 8 9 10 Vail Miller Jr. Jim Myerson Linda Opici U.S. WINE DISTRIBUTOR COUNTS State Unique Distributors State Unique Distributors State Unique Distributors California 154 Texas 43 North Carolina 35 New York 105 Washington 40 Maryland 33 Illinois 65 Massachusetts 39 Michigan 33 Florida 53 Oregon 38 Ohio 33 Virginia 48 Colorado 36 All others 458 Total US Distributors 1,213 Source: Wines Vines Analytics.