Las Vegas Weekly

DeLuca Liquor & Wine, Ltd. is now Wirtz Beverage Group

Attention bartenders and people in the know: Do you ever notice the sponsorship details at the bottom of an event flyer? If so, you are certain to recognize the name of wholesale distributors DeLuca Liquor & Wine, Ltd. That name will soon be no more. But never fear, this isn’t another casualty of the flagging economy. On the contrary. With a goal of “becoming the leading premium total beverage alcohol distributor by 2012,” DeLuca, Silver State Liquor & Wine and Coors of Las Vegas (along with its parent company’s holdings in Chicago, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin) are consolidating their name into one: Wirtz Beverage Group. According to Ken Fredrickson, VP of wine marketing and sales for Wirtz, the name change will create a unified front when working with their supplier network. Though only a rebranding (no companies are changing hands), it will cost about $1 million in Nevada alone to switch the official name.

Since it is illegal for distributors to sell to the general public, the only time consumers will see a difference is if they happen to notice a newly painted Wirtz truck driving down the street, or if they happen to be involved with one of Wirtz’s many charitable efforts (Epicurean, Bishop Gorman, Wine Walk, Great Steakout with CSN). Eh, what’s in a name anyway?