(Wines&Vines) - Wine Business Monthly, the sister magazine of Wines & Vines under Wine Communications Group, announced the acquisition of WITS, the Wine Industry Technology Symposium being held today and Friday in Napa.

Eric Jorgensen, president of Wine Communications Group, said in a statement announcing the acquisition: “We have always had a strong interest in how the wine industry uses technology. Smoke (Wallin) and Lesley (Berglund) have done a remarkable job over the past decade of bringing the industry together around this important topic. We welcome both of them and everyone involved with WITS to the Wine Communications Group family.”

“The Wine Industry Technology Symposium has been responsible for raising the level of dialogue and thinking around technology in the wine industry. I am proud of our efforts at bringing the industry together around these important topics and of playing our small part in improving wine business practices. Most importantly, I’m grateful to the many people who have played a role in making WITS a success over the years. It would never have been possible without Kathy (Archer) and Waunice (Orchid) at the Wine Symposium Group, our winery CIOs and Advisory Board, and all the great sponsors going back to the beginning. I have many friends as a result of WITS who have enriched my life in so many ways,” said J. Smoke Wallin, founder and co-chairman of WITS.