The Wine Group CEO John Sutton On Plans For Newly Expanded Portfolio
Earlier this month, The Wine Group (TWG) closed its acquisition of six brands totaling 12 million cases from Constellation for an undisclosed sum. The deal sees The Wine Group gain the Cook’s, J. Rogét, Meiomi, Robert Mondavi Private Selection, Simi, and Woodbridge labels, along with production sites in Lodi and Monterey County, CA, as well as the Simi winery in Healdsburg and approximately 6,600 owned and leased vineyard acres throughout California. SND executive editor Daniel Marsteller spoke with The Wine Group CEO John Sutton to hear about the company’s plans post-acquisition.
SND: How do these brands complement the existing TWG portfolio?
Sutton: These six brands give us higher price points and well-known brands at retail that meet consumer needs for any type of occasion and price point up to $25. They round out our current offerings really well. For example, Robert Mondavi Private Selection is a red-led offering and it’s a great complement to our white-led Cupcake Vineyards brand. Woodbridge has a robust 1.5-liter presence, and that complements our Main & Vine brand at the same price point.
Our legacy portfolio was really weighted under $15, so Meiomi and Simi give us strong brands in the $15-plus segment that’s growing today. On the channel front, the acquired brands give us much larger on-premise, convenience, and club channel volume, and an overall larger retail presence as well.
SND: Where do you see particular growth opportunity within the portfolio of recently acquired brands?
Sutton: We’re particularly excited about Meiomi and Cook’s. Thanks to Constellation’s hard work, the recent trends on Meiomi have turned positive, and we expect to take the brand to the next level. Cook’s is our first nationally distributed traditional sparkling brand, and a market leader at that popular price point. It’s largely a retail-focused brand, and we think we can expand it into independent chains along with on-premise. We’re also evaluating an opportunity for a higher-priced tier of Cook’s.
SND: What benefits do you expect from the additional facilities and vineyards acquired? Sutton: They give us greater efficiency and flexibility within our portfolio, but also tremendous new in-house innovation capabilities. The Wine Group’s always been known for innovation—we launched eight new brands in 2025 that are in the market right now, and these new facilities will allow us to accelerate our in-house innovation, including new packaging formats, developing ready-to-drink cocktails, sparkling, and non-alcoholic products, all of which are resonating with consumers today. We strongly believe that innovation is the key to growth in the future. It also allows us to bring in-house a lot of our current product that we’re outsourcing to others, things like canning, Tetra Paks, and ready-to-drink products. In terms of the vineyards, while we’re not entering any new regions, we’re expanding our presence in the Monterey, Lodi, and Sonoma regions. These areas will provide high-quality grapes for the acquired brands, as well as others in our portfolio. They also provide an opportunity to increase our private label business. We’re the number-one supplier of private label wine today by volume and a lot of the acquired capabilities and grape supply will allow us to expand the products and private label programs that we offer to retailers. So it’s another hidden benefit of the transaction.
SND: How does the acquisition better position TWG amid current wine category conditions?
Sutton: With our expanded and diversified portfolio as well as these in-house capabilities, we believe we can ultimately reach more consumers and provide more products for all types of evolving tastes and occasions up to about the $25 price point. First, these are all large-volume brands, which will allow us to navigate uncertainty much better and put us in a position to stay focused on what the consumer wants. The acquisition also gives us scale and efficiency in how we go to market with the wholesaler, how we meet with retail customers, and ultimately reach the consumers.
Second, this acquisition better positions us in the convenience, club, and on-premise channels, which are growing. We’re adding a lot of volume in those channels and acquiring a lot of new customers that we’re not doing business with today. And lastly, we still believe there’s a consumer need for wines under $10, so we’re equally excited about the acquisition of the Woodbridge and Robert Mondavi Private Selection brands. They have great scale and heritage, and we intend to take an industry-leading role working with the retailers and wholesalers to try to reinvigorate the wine category under $10.
Brands Acquired By The Wine Group
(thousands of 9-liter case depletions)
| Brand | 2023 | 2024 | Percent Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi | 7,088 | 6,479 | -8.6% |
| Cook’s | 1,946 | 1,763 | -9.4% |
| Meiomi | 1,809 | 1,700 | -6.0% |
| Robert Mondavi Private Selection | 1,788 | 1,400 | -21.7% |
| Simi | 498 | 431 | -13.5% |
| J. Rogét | 541 | 362 | -33.1% |
| Subtotal | 13,670 | 12,135 | -11.2% |
Source: IMPACT DATABANK © 2025
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