Wines & Spirits Executive Recruiters

New York, NY, USA

For those in the wines & spirits industry, New York is an important market for several reasons. New York is the third largest market for spirits and wines nationally, just behind California and Florida. As it is an ideal location for the import of wines from France, Spain, Italy, Germany and the rest of Europe, it occupies an important headquarters for numerous alcohol importers and distributors.
Additionally, the importance of the New York market for serving distribution channels all over the northeast, the city attracts major offices for multinational conglomerates such as Anheuser-Busch (which has a number of wines and spirits brands in its portfolio) and Diageo (owner of such prominent brands as Smirnoff, Johnnie Walker, Captain Morgan, Tanqueray and others).
The State of New York relies on alcohol sales to generate over $250 million dollars in tax revenue. Restaurants in New York generated a sales of over $50 billion dollars in 2018, with alcohol sales accounting for a significant portion of that spend.
Wines and spirits in New York City restaurants have traditionally been sold at a high mark-up thanks to the high rents in the area and leading to a unique market landscape. Sommeliers and restaurants look for unique bottles that are not typically sold in retail establishments. Because of tourist spend, even well-known independent restaurants like Smith & Wollensky, the Smith and Carmine’s can gross upwards of $15 million dollars a year.