Benchmark Wine Group, a leading source of fine and rare wine for wine retailers, restaurants and collectors worldwide, said it expanded to the East Coast with the opening of its new Washington, D.C. affiliate, Benchmark Wine & Spirits. With its primary facility located in Napa, California, Benchmark Wine’s expanded footprint through this new affiliate solidifies its position as the nation’s leading source of rare and vintage-aged wine. It also provides them entrée into the rapidly growing rare spirits market.
“Given the caliber and broad selection of the rare wine we source and sell, there’s been enhanced demand for our products and purchase services in the eastern part of the country from private individuals and professional contacts,” said David Parker, CEO of Benchmark Wine. “With a new presence in this key region, we are excited to directly cater to the growing demand for perfectly aged and stored rare wine and spirits.”
Like the Napa facility, the new one in Washington, D.C. will directly import the best products from top wine and spirits producers and brokers in Europe. It will also act as a major buyer of perfectly stored private wine and, now, spirits collections.
With the same access to information that makes Benchmark Wine Group the top market maker in rare wine, Benchmark Wine & Spirits will also utilize the immense rare spirits valuation capability of its affiliate, the Spirits Market Journal, to make top-of-the-market, immediate buy offers for the best rare spirits and trade them at market leading prices.
The new D.C. facility will offer the same degree of white-glove service that customers have come to expect from Benchmark Wine Group. Operating on both coasts will also allow Benchmark Wine to offer reduced shipping rates and more shipping options to customers.
Parker, a former computer and software designer and head of engineering, began his professional wine career as the Owner of Parker Family Vineyards, a vineyard in the Alexander Valley. His thirst for something more lead him to found Brentwood Wine Co., the first weekly online auction house for fine wine, in 1998. In 2002, Benchmark Wine Group was established as a retailer, importer and distributor specializing in hard-to-find, collectible rare wines. Now he is CEO of First Growth Technologies including CellarPros, a service company focused on the needs of the serious wine collector and fine wine professional.
