St. Helena, CA, December 10, 2014 — Wine Market Council announced today that Dale Stratton, Vice President of Strategic Insights for the Wine & Spirits division of Constellation Brands, was officially elected as Chair of the non-profit association’s board of directors. Stratton succeeds former Wine Market Council Chair, Dennis Cakebread. His board term will run for two years.
“Over the past few years, the board has enabled Wine Market Council to go beyond their annual segmentation and tracking studies so that they can provide the most timely and relevant research on the critical topics of the wine industry,” said Dale Stratton. “I look forward to applying my experience in consumer insights and market analysis to further expand the research capabilities of this leading industry association.”
Wine Market Council’s election of board officers was held at their annual board of directors meeting on November 3, 2014, at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. At the meeting Danny Brager, Senior Vice President of Nielsen’s Beverage Alcohol Practice Area, was also elected to Wine Market Council’s board for a two-year term. Other board officers were elected to their positions including: Vice Chair, John Ledbetter of Ledbetter/Vino Farms; Second Vice Chair, Xavier Barlier, of Maisons Marques & Domaines/Roederer Estate; Treasurer, Shawn Byrnes of Ste. Michelle Wine Estates; and Secretary, Michaela Rodeno of Villa Ragazzi. Dennis Cakebread of Cakebread Cellars assumed the board officer role of Immediate Past Chair.
“Dale Stratton is a wine industry leader whose knowledge and experience with consumer insights, consumer affairs, business analytics and market research will be indispensable to Wine Market Council as we continue to understand, track and analyze consumer consumption habits and showcase emerging trends,” said John Gillespie, President of Wine Market Council.
Recently, Wine Market Council’s research studies have included a segmentation study providing new data on all U.S. adult beverage alcohol consumers with a focus on all wine drinkers, a study among sommeliers and other beverage professionals on the interaction of craft beer, spirits and wine consumption, as well as an annual survey of high frequency wine drinkers.
The 2015 members of Wine Market Council’s board are:
- Dale Stratton (Chair), Constellation Brands
- Dennis Cakebread (Immediate Past Chair), Cakebread Cellars
- John Ledbetter (Vice Chair), Ledbetter/Vino Farms
- Xavier Barlier (Second Vice Chair), Maisons Marques & Domaines/Roederer Estate
- Michaela Rodeno (Secretary), Villa Ragazzi
- Shawn Byrnes (Treasurer), Ste. Michelle Wine Estates
- Danny Brager, Nielsen
- Mel Dick, Southern Wine & Spirits
- Jerry Douglas, Biltmore Estate Wine Company
- Ray Herrmann, The Charmer Sunbelt Group
- Steve Somers (Alternate for Ray Herrmann), The Charmer Sunbelt Group
- Michael Mondavi, Folio Fine Wine Partners
- Heidi Scheid, Scheid Vineyards
- Adam Strum, Wine Enthusiast Companies
- Emma Swain, St. Supery Vineyards & Winery
- Hugh Tietjen, Wine Communications Group
- Jim Trezise, New York Wine & Grape Foundation
About Dale Stratton
Dale Stratton is the Vice President, Strategic Insights, for the Wine & Spirits division of Constellation Brands, the world leader in premium wine. In this role, he oversees consumer insights, consumer affairs, business analytics and market research. Dale’s extensive work linking consumer and shopper insights and market analysis with business objectives and strategies have translated into actionable insights for the company’s category leading brands such as Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi, Black Box and Mark West, as well as making Constellation a supplier of choice for customers. Dale’s team also leads the Project Genome Consumer Segmentation project, the wine industry’s most comprehensive consumer study of what drives today’s consumer purchasing behavior. Prior to joining Constellation Brands in 2006, Dale spent 22 years working at E&J Gallo where he began his career. During his tenure, he covered a wide range of responsibilities that included distributor management, account management, strategic insights and Lean Six Sigma. Dale has a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism with a concentration in Public Relations from Colorado State University.
About Constellation Brands
Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE: STZ and STZ.B) is a leading international producer and marketer of beer, wine and spirits with operations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, New Zealand and Italy. In 2013, Constellation was one of the best performing stocks in the S&P 500. Constellation is the number three beer company in the U.S. with high-end, iconic, imported brands including Corona Extra, Corona Light, Modelo Especial, Negra Modelo and Pacifico. Constellation is also the world’s leader in premium wine selling great brands that people love including Robert Mondavi, Clos du Bois, Kim Crawford, Rex Goliath, Mark West, Franciscan Estate, Ruffino and Jackson-Triggs. The company’s premium spirits brands include SVEDKA Vodka and Black Velvet Canadian Whisky.
Based in Victor, N.Y., the company believes that industry leadership involves a commitment to brand-building, our trade partners, the environment, our investors and to consumers around the world who choose our products when celebrating big moments or enjoying quiet ones. Founded in 1945, Constellation has grown to become a significant player in the beverage alcohol industry with more than 100 brands in its portfolio, sales in approximately 100 countries, about 40 facilities and approximately 6,300 talented employees. We express our company vision: to elevate life with every glass raised. To learn more, visit www.cbrands.com.
About Wine Market Council
Wine Market Council is a non-profit association of grape growers, wine producers, importers, wholesalers, and other affiliated businesses and organizations. The council’s mission is to grow, strengthen and stabilize the wine market in the U.S. on behalf of all segments of the industry. Wine Market Council provides its members with consumer research that is proprietary to Wine Market Council members, who incorporate it into their strategic planning, marketing and sales execution. Wine Market Council was established in 1994 as a non-profit (501c6) trade association working through all tiers of the U.S. wine industry to grow the wine market. More information can be found at WineMarketCouncil.com and on Twitter @WineMktCouncil.
