Don Sebastiani & Sons Announces Plans to Spin off The Other Guys as a Stand-Alone Company; Mia Sebastiani Joins the Family Business; More New Hires Announced

SONOMA, Calif.--(Business Wire)--
Don Sebastiani & Sons International Wine Négociants today announced it intends
to launch its very successful growth division - The Other Guys - as a separate,
stand-alone company by the beginning of 2010.

The decision to allow The Other Guys (TOG) to operate as a completely separate
company from TLS is based on several factors, according to Don Sebastiani, Sr.
Sebastiani, the family patriarch, will continue to serve as CEO and Chairman of
the Board of Don Sebastiani & Sons, TLS, and the new TOG Company. Noting his
family`s generational transition, Sebastiani, Sr. said that his and his wife`s
children and grandchildren will be the shareholders of TOG. Sebastiani added, "I
am energized by the changes and looking forward to the opportunity to get more
directly involved with the next chapter of TOG."

Rejecting the wave of consolidation that is sweeping American industry, Don`s
son, Executive Director Don Sebastiani, Jr. noted that "clear separation" was
another significant factor in the decision. Don Jr. said, "The goal of The Other
Guys has always been `to do business differently,` to diversify what, how, and
where our family`s wines are sold. By operating as completely separate entities,
it will further allow for divergent thought and growth in new and different
directions."

THE FAMILY WELCOMES MIA SEBASTIANI

The most noteworthy of today`s many announcements is that daughter and sister,
Emilia (Mia) Sebastiani, has joined the family business as Director of the Mia`s
Kitchen division. A recent graduate of Loyola Marymount University, where she
majored in history and earned a minor in philosophy, Sebastiani has worked
closely with the company to develop the Mia`s Kitchen product line, which
includes wine reduction sauces for cooking. For the 2009 Southern Hemisphere
harvest, she worked as a tasting room employee at The Glen Carlou Wine Estate in
Paarl, South Africa.

Mia joins her brothers Donny and August as fourth generation family members to
work in the family business. Mia will work directly with the new TOG
organization, but as with any young family member working in her family`s
business, she will work and learn many of the different disciplines within the
organizations. Brothers Donny and August remarked, "We are looking forward to
having Mia join us. There are a lot of things the three of us are looking to
accomplish. We are both excited to have Mia on board; her contribution is
welcomed in all aspects of the business…not just Mia`s Kitchen."

MORE NEW DEVELOPMENTS AT THE OTHER GUYS

The Other Guys will be led by company veteran Richard Zeller. He has been named
Chief Operating Officer of the TOG Company and will report directly to Don
Sebastiani, Sr. Zeller formerly was Vice President of Sales for the western
region of TLS and has been working for the Sebastiani family for 18 years.

Jean Arnold, currently TOG National Sales Manager, will continue in that role
and report to Zeller. Keith Casale, currently Director of Finance at Don & Sons,
will begin the transition to TOG Chief Financial Officer. Also making the
transition from Don & Sons to the new TOG organization are Office Manager Alice
Castorena and Sales Coordinator Jenn Houseman.

Mike Sheetz will move from his current role as Area Manager for TLS to become
TOG Regional Manager in the West, reporting to Jean Arnold. Sheetz joined Don &
Sons in 2007 and has been responsible for sales in Southern California, Nevada
and Hawaii. Sheetz also worked for the family at Sebastiani Vineyards 10 years
ago.

In addition to current employees changing hats, TOG announced Jonathan White as
the company`s new Northeast Regional Sales Manager. White most recently was a
Regional Sales Manager for Slocum & Sons Purveyors & Importers. Prior to that,
he was with Republic National Distributing Company. White`s new territory
includes Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New York,
New Jersey, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

The new developments also impact company`s winemaking team. Earlier this summer,
long-time director of winemaking Richard Bruno moved into a consulting role in
order to balance his other wine industry interests, including his own private
label, Vinum Cellars. He also will be a consulting winemaker for Michael Pozzan
Winery. Bruno will continue to work as a consultant for The Other Guys, while
former associate winemaker Greg Kitchens will become winemaker for Don & Sons
TLS.

The Other Guys has built a broad and diverse base of business for the Sebastiani
family, forging new relationships with distributors and retailers alike. The
company will continue to concentrate on smaller-volume craft wines for sale to
higher-end retail establishments and restaurant wine lists, while expanding its
portfolio. Since its introduction less than five years ago, TOG, whose brands
include Hey Mambo and Leese-Fitch, has grown to over 100,000 cases annually.

DON SEBASTIANI & SONS TLS GROUP CONTINUES TO ADD TALENT

With a focus on a building a diverse and talented team ready to take on the
challenges of the new economy, Don Sebastiani & Sons TLS division today
announced the hiring of five new employees and reiterated its plans to add
additional positions by year-end.

Joining the team as Vice President of Customer and Channel Management is Andrew
Meyer, whose wine industry background includes stints with Robert Mondavi
Corporation, Constellation Wines U.S., and Delicato Family Vineyard Wines. Meyer
will be based in Illinois and will be responsible for driving the growth of Don
& Sons` national on- and off-premise chain business. He is a graduate of Texas A
& M University, where he earned a degree in human resources management.

Tom Hawkins assumes the post of Vice President of Finance for TLS. For 28 years,
Hawkins had a distinguished career with Beam Wine Estates. He has an extensive
background in financial operations and a proven track record in positions of
increasing responsibility for the oversight and management of financial
reporting. He most recently served as Vice President of Finance and Planning for
Beam.

Brianna Pachmayer is the new National Accounts Manager for Customer and Channel
Management. Previously Pachmayer was a National Account Manager with Beam Global
Spirits and Future Brands LLC.

David Perry has been hired as the company`s IT Support Technician. He most
recently was a systems engineer for Sony Pictures Imageworks and prior to that
assignment was with the University of San Francisco, working in
telecommunications and IT support.

Ryan Waltz has been named Area Manager for the company`s South region, covering
Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, Oklahoma and New Mexico. Ryan has most recently
been the Michigan State Manager for Remy Cointreau USA.

Don & Sons` TLS portfolio, known for its volume brands Smoking Loon and
Pepperwood Grove, has evolved over the last 18 months. Don Sebastiani, Jr,
observed, "It has been a bit of a bumpy ride, but we have in fact traded our
business up, toward more premium categories, with the successful recent brand
launches of B Side, The Crusher, and Flock, as well as the re-launch of the
restaurant-driven Aquinas Napa Valley brand. With changes to our selling
portfolio and new personnel, we have made great strides in transforming our TLS
group into a `grown-up`, structured, and professionally-run business."

Don Sebastiani & Sons is a family-owned wine negociant firm specializing in the
marketing of upscale varietal wines. Principals Don Sebastiani and sons, Donny
and August, are third and fourth generation California vintners and merchants.
The company is headquartered in Sonoma Valley and has a winery in the Napa
Valley.

For further information, please call Jim Knapp at 707-933-1704, ext. 180 or
email him at jknapp@donandsons.com.

Don Sebastiani & Sons
Jim Knapp, 707-933-1704 ext. 180
jknapp@donandsons.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009