DULLES, VA–(Marketwire – December 7, 2010) – Destination Cellars, the first and only luxury destination wine club, today announced the recipients of its annual Winery Partners of the Year award and its new Alliance Partner of the Year award.

“We wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for our great winery partners, our amazing alliance partners and our incredible clients,” said David Keuhner, founder and CEO, Destination Cellars. “Over the last three and half years, we’ve truly established some wonderful friendships and we’ve created some incredible memories. We can’t thank everyone enough.” 

The following partners are recognized for their standard of partner excellence in 2010:

International Winery Partner of the Year — Alex Gambal. Maison Alex Gambal was created in 1997 with the goal to express character, terroir and purity of each wine. During the winemaking process, they let nature express each vintage uniquely, by using indigenous yeasts which are naturally on the grapes. Each wine is treated as a living product up to its bottling which is done naturally, by gravity, without filtration and following the phases of the moon.

“We’ve partnered with Destination Cellars since the beginning and have been impressed with the creativity of their team and passion of their members ever since,” said Alex Gambal, owner, Alex Gambal. “Burgundy is very small community and our partnership gives us the opportunity to introduce members to not only our winery, but also the amazing restaurateurs and wine makers in our area. We are proud to accept this award.”

National Winery Partner of the Year — Fantesca Estate & Winery. Founded in 2004 by Susan and Duane Hoff, Fantesca Estate & Winery’s renowned terroir and artisan winemaking combine to produce wines of character and refinement that pair well with food, fun and friends. Fantesca’s Heidi Barrett is the only winemaker in the world to receive five perfect 100 point scores from some of the foremost wine critics around the world.

“Destination Cellars works with an amazing array of wineries, we consider it a high honor to be selected as its partner of the year,” said Duane Hoff, owner, Fantesca. “We hold a shared belief with Destination Cellars — the mission to create great experiences for customers. Our partnership has helped us further this goal.”

New Winery Partner of the Year — Arista Winery. Arista Winery was founded by the McWilliams family in 2002 with a mission to create the most elegant expression of Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. This winery works closely with local growers who share its dedication to sustainable farming and business practices.

“The superb staff and planning Destination Cellars provides has made our partnership a real pleasure and our jobs almost effortless,” said Ben McWilliams, tasting room manager, Arista Winery. “Destination Cellars clients share a similar passion and enthusiasm for the wines that we make and the land that we farm. We are very excited about continuing our partnership and improving the experience that we offer their clients.”

Alliance Partner of the Year — Exclusive Resorts. After welcoming members on more than 120,000 trips over the last eight years, Exclusive Resorts continues to be the best way for families to enjoy vacations that combine the spaciousness of luxury residences with the services and amenities of world-class resorts. Through the club’s partnership with Destination Cellars, its members enjoy privileged access to customized wine experiences, including private vineyard excursions when staying with the club in wine meccas like San Francisco, Tuscany and Paris, and on trips through the Exclusive Resorts Once in a Lifetime program.

“We work constantly to provide our members unique luxury experiences that are hard to find anywhere else, and Destination Cellars has been an outstanding partner in helping us fulfill this priority,” said Jeff Potter, chief executive officer of Exclusive Resorts. “Their highly personalized approach and exceptional service, paired with the remarkable access they have to leading wineries all over the world, has earned them consistent raves from our members. We are honored to be selected as their inaugural Alliance Partner of the Year.”

All award winners were selected based on their ability to meet or exceed the following judging criteria:

• Support of Destination Cellars in the market place
• Ability to participate in programs, events and new offerings
• Qualitative internal team feedback 
• Client feedback for wine experiences at the winery (*winery award criterion only) 

About Destination Cellars
Founded in 2006, Destination Cellars is the first and only luxury destination club that offers affluent wine, food and travel enthusiasts services including custom “wine experience” travel, direct to consumer wine sales, private wine events and wine cellar management. Individual and corporate club members enjoy exclusive, personalized access to more than 100 of the world’s finest wineries spanning seven countries. A licensed wholesaler and retailer, Destination Cellars has cultivated some of the top wines in the world and assist clients with acquiring these hard to find wines through its private labeled online wine portal. Destination Cellars has built an esteemed alliance network to guarantee its members receive the best services available, including MasterCard, YPO, TIGER 21, Exclusive Resorts, Merrill Lynch, VIP Desk, Cellar Advisors, PGA Tour professional Parker McLachlin, LGPA Tour professional Meghan Francella, YouthQuest Foundation and The Brenda MacDonald Melanoma Research Foundations. 

For more information on Destination Cellars, visit http://www.destinationcellars.com or contact us at 866-920-9463. 

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