Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc.

[fishnbowljoe]

December 09, 2009

Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. Granted Permit to Operate in Indiana

Southern Now Active in 29 States and Licensed in 32 States

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. (Southern), the nation’s leading wine and spirits distributor and control states broker with a tradition of service excellence since 1968 today announced the Company’s Indiana subsidiary, Southern Wine & Spirits of Indiana, Inc., had obtained a wholesaler’s permit to operate in Indiana. This follows the approval of Southern’s application by the Indiana Alcoholic & Tobacco Commission (IATC).

“We look forward to serving Indiana’s licensees — as well as all of the future supplier partners who will join us there.â€

Wayne E. Chaplin, President and Chief Operating Officer of Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. said, “Having gained this approval, our expectation is that Southern Wine & Spirits of Indiana once established, will begin to bring the highest levels of sales, service and distribution excellence to the state of Indiana.â€

“We are extremely pleased about the prospect of establishing operations in Indiana, where we see many opportunities to extend our industry-leading sales and market capabilities and operational efficiencies,†commented Harvey R. Chaplin, Chairman and CEO of Southern. “We look forward to serving Indiana’s licensees — as well as all of the future supplier partners who will join us there.â€

Mr. Chaplin added, “We are thankful the (IATC) granted us our license which now gives us the ability to explore our various options. Our operations in Indiana will certainly take into account the sales, marketing, personnel and operational needs of both our suppliers and retail partners alike. We will also, of course, seek to advantage our ramp-up in Indiana by leveraging know-how from our industry-leading sales, marketing and operations capabilities resident across the rest of the Southern footprint. Once started in Indiana, we expect to make an immediate, meaningful impact.â€

Referring to the licensing process, Harvey Chaplin said, “We are grateful that the IATC officials recognized Southern’s qualifications, and we look forward to working closely with them as we establish operations in Indiana.â€