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The Wine Group Retirement & Savings Plan
The Wine Group Retirement & Savings Plan was established in 1983 as the employee benefit plan for The Wine Group, the privately held, management-owned...
The Wine Group Retirement & Savings Plan
The Wine Group Retirement & Savings Plan was established in 1983 as the employee benefit plan for The Wine Group, the privately held, management-owned wine producer headquartered in California. The Wine Group is the world's second-largest wine supplier by volume, moving over 45 million cases annually across brands including Franzia, Cupcake Vineyards, 7 Deadly, Chloe, and Meiomi. The plan's assets represent the aggregated retirement savings of the company's workforce, drawn from employee deferrals and any company matching contributions. The plan's investment posture is entirely defined-contribution in structure, with no direct investment activity of the type pursued by institutional asset owners. Participant assets are allocated across a menu of mutual funds, collective investment trusts, and potentially a self-directed brokerage window — standard architecture for a corporate 401(k) plan. There is no evidence of separate accounts, direct co-investments, or alternative asset commitments. The Wine Group itself maintains a significant operating footprint across California, New York, and Australia, including over 15,000 vineyard acres, multiple production facilities, and the Imagery Estate Winery contemporary art collection. Total plan assets are estimated at approximately $135 million, based on Altss analysis of Form 5500 filings and comparable plan profiles. The plan is administered internally, with Katie McConville serving as 401(k) Plan Administrator. The company's CEO, John Sutton, leads an executive team that also oversees the broader corporate structure. In 2025, The Wine Group expanded its operating base materially, acquiring several brands, three new facilities, and roughly 6,600 vineyard acres from Constellation Brands — a transaction that may alter the scale of the plan's participant base over time. The plan's structural differentiator is its simplicity: it exists as a captive retirement vehicle with no independent investment team, no external fundraising, and no separate governance board beyond the company's fiduciary apparatus. Its investment profile is purely participant-driven, operating within the regulatory framework of ERISA and the investment menu selected by the plan's named fiduciaries. There is no philanthropic linkage, no co-investment club, and no external asset management activity.
General information
Firm type
Pension Fund
Year founded
1983
AUM
~$135M (Altss estimate)
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Tracy
Corporate office
Tracy, CA, United States
Principals
John Sutton
CEO
Altss tracks 1 additional named team member for this firm — including direct investment leads, IR, and operating principals not listed on the public website.
Book a demoFrequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions for The Wine Group Retirement & Savings Plan?
The plan is administered by an internal fiduciary team at The Wine Group, with Katie McConville serving as the 401(k) Plan Administrator. Investment decisions for the plan are governed by the plan's investment policy statement and the fiduciary committee overseeing the plan. There is no evidence of a standalone investment office or external delegated CIO arrangement.
Is The Wine Group Retirement & Savings Plan structured as a single-family office or does it operate more like a corporate pension?
It operates purely as a corporate defined-contribution retirement plan for employees of The Wine Group. There is no family office component, no external advising mandate, and no commingling of personal assets. The plan's assets are participant-directed within the investment menu selected by the plan fiduciaries.
Does the plan commit to private equity, venture capital, or direct co-investments?
There is no publicly available evidence that the plan participates in private equity, venture capital, or direct co-investments. As a standard corporate 401(k), the investment menu likely consists of mutual funds, collective investment trusts, and possibly a self-directed brokerage option. No alternative investment commitments have been identified.
How is The Wine Group Retirement & Savings Plan related to The Wine Group's operating business?
The plan is a captive employee benefit vehicle for The Wine Group, a management-owned producer and marketer of wine. The Wine Group, with brands including Franzia, Cupcake, Meiomi, and 7 Deadly, is the world's second-largest wine supplier by volume and operates across California, New York, and Australia. The plan's assets are entirely independent of The Wine Group's corporate treasury.
What is the plan's known approach to selecting investment managers or funds?
The plan's investment menu is selected by the named fiduciaries in accordance with the plan's investment policy statement. No details of specific fund selections or manager evaluations have been made public. The governance structure is likely documented in the plan's Form 5500 filings and summary plan description.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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