(Wines&Vines) - The wine industry's leading media and marketing company, Wine Communications Group, has partnered with beverage alcohol advisory firm BW166 to acquire the publishing business of Gomberg, Fredrikson & Associates (GFA), the respected and authoritative industry economic analyst and publisher of The Gomberg-Fredrikson Report.

Hugh Tietjen, chairman of Wine Communications Group, and Jon Moramarco, founder and managing partner of BW166, finalized the acquisition March 1.

"We are happy to be able to continue the legacy of accurate, exhaustive, in-depth market research and reporting that Jon Fredrikson has so firmly established," said Tietjen and Moramarco in a joint statement. "With the considerable additional data and analytical resources that our two companies bring to the deal, the GFA publications will provide even more valuable services." 

The new owners are buying the interest in GFA that has been held by WX since 2000. WX (formerly Winery Exchange) is a leading supplier of national and exclusive brands of wine, beer and spirits.

 "Gomberg-Fredrikson has been an integral part of the growth of WX into the company we are today," said Peter Byck, CEO of WX. "We have enjoyed our partnership with Jon & Eileen Fredrikson and wish them continued success going forward."

All reports currently being supplied to GFA clients will continue uninterrupted, and Jon Fredrikson will initially continue to author The Gomberg-Fredrikson Report.

Wine Communications Group currently owns Wines & Vines and Wine Business Monthly magazines, Winejobs.com and their related industry research and events businesses. The extensive databases and data analytics of Wines Vines Analytics and BW166 will be linked to existing GFA reporting to provide the wine industry's most extensive and comprehensive data to clients