About Us

The ENYE Group was founded in August 2007, initially as an importer, and later as an Illinois distributor of quality wines from Spain. If you’re having trouble pronouncing our name, think back to your high school Spanish class. “ENYE” is the written out phonic pronunciation of the letter “ñ” in English. The letter “ñ” is unique to the Spanish alphabet, and is synonymous with all things Latin: from gastronomy, to art and lifestyle. It is a state of mind as well as a state of being.

Our goal is to discover, import and distribute wines from established and emerging regions in the Latin world. We will support wines made in sustainable methods from small production estates and co-operatives. We will focus on wines that are varietally specific to their region and reflective of their terroir. Furthermore, we are absolutely committed to bring products to the market that have an excellent price-quality ratio.

In 2011, following ownership changes, we expanded our horizons to include products from the Latin world, adding Portugal, Chile and Argentina to our product mix. This decision was made on the basis of meeting the demand from our customers of wines from other countries. The Latin wine segment, as represented by imports from Spain, Portugal, Argentina and Chile, have all experienced double digit growth in 2009 and 2010, in the context of a very difficult economic environment in the United States.

Our new tagline, “Esenzia Latina” tells an important story about our new strategy and development. First of all, it pays homage to one of our most successful private label product launches of our history, “ESENZIA”, a wonderful partnership with Bodegas Tempore. Secondly, it reaffirms our commitment to support family owned wineries and smaller estates, wherever they may be in the Latin world. We will continue to source directly, avoiding negotiants and middlemen, and use our understanding of Latin business culture and the Spanish language to create a win-win for our customers and suppliers. The end result is a well balanced portfolio of fabulous wines and spirits that have not previously been available in the Illinois or Midwest markets.

Currently, ENYE distributes product in Illinois and other states through distributor-partners, serving most of the upper Midwest. For a complete list of our distributors, please click here. We are continually looking to grow our distributor base. Please contact us if you are interested in distributing ENYE products in your state.


The ENYE Team
The key to any successful organization is its people. At ENYE, we are pleased to present our new team for 2011, with over 90 years combined experience in the beverage industry:

W. Dustin Goldstein
Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer
dustin@enyegroup.com

Dustin Goldstein is the founder and majority owner of The ENYE Group.  As President and CEO, he is wholly responsible for the sourcing function and overall strategic direction of the business.  A banker by day and wine freak by night, Dustin speaks fluent Spanish and holds dual Spanish-American nationality.  Dustin’s Spanish background comes from his maternal grandfather who immigrated from a small village in the northern region of Cantabria, Spain to the United States in 1920 and settled in Northeast Pennsylvania, embracing his new homeland but never forgetting where he came from.

Dustin’s love of wine came about while living and working in Spain between 1999 and 2004, where he spent numerous weekends between Madrid, Rioja and Ribera del Duero as a hyper-interested consumer, getting to know the Spanish wine industry through small wineries as well as how to appreciate one of the best winemaking grapes around, Tempranillo.  During an unusually rainy summer vacation in 2007 at his cousins’ house in Cantabria, he jumped in the car and, whipped into an entrepreneurial frenzy, drove to Rioja and Ribera del Duero, visiting small family owned wineries and founded ENYE electronically from his cousins’ house upon his return.  Four years later, we’re happy to report that these wineries are still with us…


Thomas C. Minnerick
Vice President & Sales Manager, Distributor Segment
tom@enyegroup.com

Tom Minnerick is Vice President & Sales Manager of The ENYE Group, primarily responsible for managing and growing our distributor network outside of Illinois.  Tom brings almost 40 years of industry experience to ENYE, and joined us in February 2010 from the Michael-David Winery where he was Midwest Regional Manager. 

Tom began his career in 1971 as a Field Marketing Manager for E&J Gallo Winery out of Cincinnati, Ohio. After moving to Heublein/United Vintners in 1978, he worked his way up to a District Manager position, followed closely by a move to Cadbury-Schweppes USA as National Sales Manager in 1978 and Jim Beam Brands in 1985 in the same capacity. Tom then joined Olinger Distributing Company, one of the leading distributors in the state of Indiana, as Director of Wine. Tom continued his management career after being named Executive VP and General Sales Manager of Distinctive Wines & Spirits, a leading Chicago area fine wine distributor.