News Briefs

The Absolut Spirits Co. has teamed with Southern Wine & Spirits of New York for exclusive statewide distribution of Absolut, Level and Danzka vodka brands and Plymouth gin, effective April 1. Eber Brothers will maintain distribution of Plymouth gin outside metropolitan New York.
Southern Wine & Spirits also announced plans to acquire Lauber Imports to form a new division in New Jersey. It says the division will be headed by Mark Lauber, who will serve as president.
Micropack Corp., Natick, Mass., has changed its name to Clearsource Inc. The company produces value-tier, single-serve bottled water products, and has manufacturing facilities in Vermont, Pennsylvania, Florida, Illinois, Arkansas and Texas.
Judge & Dolph, Chicago, has become the Illinois distributor for Heck Estates brands such as Kenwood Vineyards, Valley of the Moon, Lake Sonoma Winery and Korbel Brandy.
E&J Gallo has acquired Grape Links Inc., producer of Barefoot Cellars. Details of the agreement were not disclosed.
Mountain Pure LLC, Little Rock, Ark., has acquired the water bottling operations of Real Pure located in Magee, Miss. Carl Lanier, general manager, and Bill Hannah, chief financial officer, will oversee operations.
Scheid Vineyards Inc., Salinas, Calif., announced it will begin construction of a state-of-the-art winery near Greenfield, Calif. The first phase of construction will result in a crush capacity of 10,000 tons of grapes and will require an investment of $18 million to $20 million. The second phase will increase capacity to 25,000 tons. It will operate as both a custom crush facility for customers and for the winery’s own grape production.
Frontier Airlines is now offering a special blend of Caribou Coffee on its flights. The blend includes beans from Sumatra, Costa Rica, Colombia and Guatemala. The agreement with Frontier, based in Denver, is part of Minneapolis-based Caribou’s plan to expand into western markets such as Colorado.