The Specialty Wine Retailers Association (SWRA) today announced the election of a new Board of Directors and officers of the national retailer advocacy group for the 2012-2013 term. Daniel Posner, owner of Grapes the Wine Company in New York, was elected the SWRAs new president. Keith Wollenberg of K&L Wine Merchants was elected to serve as Vice President.
Founded in 2006 to advocate for fairly regulated wine markets, SWRAs new board has set an agenda aimed at educating policy makers and the trade on the benefits of modernized alcohol regulations that take into account current market conditions, rather than those of the 1920s. Additionally, the Board has put in place a long-term plan to extend its member benefits package.
A member of the SWRA Board since 2008, Posner leads one of the most dynamic specialty wine shops in America, Grapes the Wine Company located in White Plains, New York. Posner joined Grapes The Wine Company in 2000, became a partner in 2002 and eventually bought the company in 2005. Wollenberg of K&L Wine Merchants has served on the SWRA Board of Directors since the associations inception. He is K&Ls Wine Merchants Burgundy specialist and has been closely involved in SWRAs legal efforts to over turn discriminatory wine shipping laws.
The new SWRA Board of Directors also will include James ArnoldCEO of Arnold Consulting Group, John HinmanPartner at Hinman & Carmichael, Stacie HuntDu Vin Wines, and Simon LittlerExecutive Vice President of Global Wine Co.
SWRA is led by an exceptionally competent and motivated board of directors, all of whom understand the necessity of representing the growing contingent of progressive retailers across the country that are too often stymied by profoundly out-dated alcohol regulations that have become protectionist, rather than useful to the marketplace, noted Posner. We believe there is a growing understanding in the alcohol beverage industry today that recognizes the necessity of serious reforms to outdated laws that will benefit both retailers and consumers. The goal at SWRA is to help those changes come to fruition.
SWRA is a national organization of brick and mortar and Internet retailers, wine clubs and auction houses that seek a fairly regulated national marketplace for the sale of alcoholic beverages. For more information see http://www.specialtywineretailers.org.
