How to Launch a New Wine Vintage to Distributors

Run the new vintage as a market launch

This guide is for alcohol importer operations teams coordinating a new wine vintage with distributors. It covers release identity, source verification, compliance review, item and identifier decisions, inventory overlap, pricing, warehouse readiness, sales assets, training, announcement timing, distributor acceptance, first-order monitoring, and final QA.

A launch is broader than a new-vintage email. The successor release must be ready in the importer record, distributor item system, warehouse, price book, sales materials, and recipient access before a broad announcement creates demand. One launch owner should connect those workstreams while each specialist retains approval responsibility.

This checklist supports operational control. It does not decide whether a federal, state, local, distributor, warehouse, or commercial requirement applies. Confirm each requirement for the exact wine, package, market, parties, and route to market.

Define the launch scope before setting a date

Open one launch record for each materially different distributor and market context. If one distributor has separate divisions, states, warehouses, channels, or item systems, confirm whether each needs its own launch plan.

Use this launch header:

Control	Required entry
Launch ID	Stable internal reference
Producer and wine	Exact approved continuing identity
Prior release	Predecessor vintage or non-vintage release
Successor release	New vintage or non-vintage release
Package	Bottle volume, closure, case pack, and case configuration
Market	State, territory, channel, or other defined scope
Distributor and division	Exact recipient organization and operating unit
Importer owner	Person accountable for the complete launch
Functional owners	Product, compliance, item data, commercial, logistics, brand, and sales owners
Distributor contacts	Item setup, purchasing, warehouse, sales, marketing, and compliance contacts as needed
Target launch context	Approved planning window or readiness event
Status	Planning, collecting, blocked, in review, ready, released, corrected, or closed
Source packet	Controlled release evidence location
Launch revision	Current approved package identifier
Open exceptions	Issue, affected scope, owner, temporary treatment, and closure condition

Do not use one global launch date to represent every milestone. Keep these events separate:

• successor source record opened
• product facts approved
• compliance review complete
• distributor item accepted
• inventory received
• inventory released
• pricing approved
• sales assets published
• distributor team trained
• successor available to order
• predecessor closed

The dates may differ by market and distributor. A planning target should not be presented as a confirmed operational state.

Separate the product, release, market item, and launch

A vintage transition becomes easier to control when the records have clear jobs.

Record	What it represents	Examples of controlled fields
Product	The continuing wine identity	Producer, brand, wine, category, core origin
Release	One vintage or non-vintage expression	Vintage status, blend, harvest, production, analysis, tasting note
Market item	One sellable configuration	Volume, pack, importer SKU, GTINs, distributor code, warehouse, market
Launch	The coordinated market transition	Gates, owners, timing, assets, partner acceptance, first-order checks

Do not overwrite the predecessor release when opening the successor. Preserve its facts, labels, item relationships, assets, approvals, submissions, and sales history. Link both releases to the continuing product.

Create a separate market item when bottle volume, case pack, identifier, market status, commercial treatment, warehouse mapping, or distributor handling differs.

Build readiness gates instead of a completion percentage

A single percentage can hide a blocking issue. Track each gate with an owner, evidence, and acceptance decision.

Gate	Ready when	Evidence	Approver
Release facts	Identity, blend, production, analysis, and claims are sourced	Approved successor record	Product owner
Compliance	Label and market decisions are complete for the intended scope	Review and approval references	Compliance owner
Item data	Package, identifiers, and partner mapping are verified	Controlled market-item record	Item-data owner
Commercial	Price, basis, pack, terms, and effective context are approved	Audience-specific price record	Commercial owner
Inventory	Sellable quantity and release state are confirmed	Warehouse and quality evidence	Inventory owner
Logistics	Ordering, picking, shipping, and receiving treatment are tested	Logistics check and exceptions	Logistics owner
Assets	Current successor files are approved and accessible	Published asset set	Brand owner
Distributor	Required item, warehouse, pricing, and asset work is accepted	Recipient confirmation	Launch owner
Sales	Training, samples, talking points, and contacts are ready	Sales-readiness record	Sales owner
Go-live	Every required gate is ready or has an accepted exception	Launch approval record	Named launch approver

An exception should identify the affected item, risk, owner, temporary treatment, approver, and closure condition. Do not change a blocked gate to ready because the issue has been moved into notes.

Compare predecessor and successor from source records

Copying the prior record can start the review, but every copied value needs a new classification.

Use this comparison table:

Field group	Prior release	Successor evidence	Decision	Owner
Producer, brand, and wine	[Prior]	[Current source]	Confirmed unchanged or corrected	[Owner]
Vintage status	[Prior]	[Successor source]	Changed	[Owner]
Country, region, and appellation	[Prior]	[Current source]	[Decision]	[Owner]
Variety and blend	[Prior]	[Successor source]	[Decision]	[Owner]
Vineyard sources	[Prior]	[Successor source]	[Decision]	[Owner]
Harvest	[Prior]	[Successor source]	[Decision]	[Owner]
Fermentation and aging	[Prior]	[Successor source]	[Decision]	[Owner]
ABV and analysis	[Prior]	[Successor source]	[Decision]	[Owner]
Tasting and service	[Prior]	[Successor review]	[Decision]	[Owner]
Certifications and claims	[Prior]	[Current evidence]	[Decision]	[Owner]
Accolades	[Prior]	[Successor evidence]	[Decision]	[Owner]
Bottle and labels	[Prior]	[Successor files]	[Decision]	[Owner]
Case and pallet	[Prior]	[Current specification]	[Decision]	[Owner]
Identifiers	[Prior]	[Assignment decisions]	[Decision]	[Owner]

Use confirmed unchanged, changed, awaiting evidence, not approved for publication, retired, or not applicable. A blank cannot distinguish unknown from unchanged.

Resolve conflicts before creating distributor forms and sales materials. If the producer technical file and importer item record disagree on ABV, pack, spelling, or blend, assign the conflict to the deciding owner. Do not select the value that appears most often.

Complete label and market review narrowly

The successor launch should use the approved identity for the actual package and destination. Keep federal label review separate from state registration, appointment, pricing, distributor setup, and warehouse acceptance.

TTB’s wine labeling guidance identifies federal wine-label topics including brand name, class or type, alcohol content, name and address, net contents, and appellation of origin when applicable. Have the qualified compliance owner determine the correct treatment for the exact successor wine and package.

Do not assume that every vintage change requires a new COLA or that no new COLA is needed. TTB’s allowable label revisions guidance includes adding a vintage date among examples of changes that may be made to an approved label without a new COLA, subject to the complete conditions in the guidance. The compliance owner should compare the full successor package with the applicable approval and conditions.

Record the review:

Compliance control	Required entry
Product and package	Exact successor release and configuration
Market	Jurisdiction and distributor scope
Label files	Final front, back, neck, and other represented files
Approval reference	Exact COLA or other applicable record
Allowable-revision decision	Decision, basis, owner, and conditions
State or local work	Separate task, responsible party, evidence, and status
Distributor requirement	Separate recipient request and acceptance
Physical package check	Production-representative sample and reviewer
Open condition	Exact unresolved issue and blocked workstream

The TTB Public COLA Registry provides information on approved, expired, surrendered, and revoked COLAs. Use the registry as a verification source, then preserve the exact certificate and internal package review used for the launch. A registry result does not show that the bottle image, sales description, physical package, or current market item matches the approved record.

Decide identifiers and distributor item treatment

A vintage change does not have one universal identifier outcome. The brand owner, importer, distributor, state system, and warehouse can each control different codes.

Keep these fields separate:

• producer code
• consumer GTIN or UPC
• case GTIN
• importer SKU
• distributor item code
• state or listing code
• warehouse code when different

GS1 US explains that a GTIN identifies a trade item and that a GTIN-14 can identify a grouping such as a case in its GTIN overview. Record each identifier’s issuer, packaging level, assignment source, and verification state. Do not copy a consumer code into a case field to remove a blank.

Use this decision record:

Identifier	Prior value	Proposed successor treatment	Deciding party	Evidence	Status
Consumer GTIN or UPC	[Prior]	New, retained, pending, or not applicable	[Owner]	[Source]	[Status]
Case GTIN	[Prior]	New, retained, pending, or not applicable	[Owner]	[Source]	[Status]
Importer SKU	[Prior]	New, retained, pending, or not applicable	Importer	[Source]	[Status]
Distributor item code	[Prior]	New, retained, pending, or not applicable	Distributor	[Confirmation]	[Status]
State or listing code	[Prior]	New, retained, pending, or not applicable	[Authority or owner]	[Source]	[Status]
Warehouse code	[Prior]	New, retained, pending, or not applicable	[Owner]	[Source]	[Status]

Ask the named distributor whether it updates the vintage on an existing item, creates a successor item, retains a code through sell-through, or follows another documented process. Do not apply one distributor’s response to another market.

Store identifiers as text and preserve displayed digits. Verify bottle and case codes against the final package or controlled assignment before the first shipment.

Define predecessor and successor inventory states

The old vintage may remain in importer or distributor inventory after the successor is ready. Do not use one portfolio-wide current vintage value during overlap.

Track status by distributor market item:

Transition state	Operational meaning	Required control
Predecessor active	Prior vintage remains the normal item	Keep prior codes, assets, and ordering guidance current
Successor preparing	New vintage is under review or setup	Prevent unapproved ordering language
Sell-through overlap	Both vintages can be present or available	Show both records and define order treatment
Successor available	New vintage can enter the approved order route	Confirm inventory, price, item, and warehouse readiness
Successor active	New vintage is the normal item for the scope	Update default sales and product views
Predecessor closed	Prior vintage is no longer offered through the route	Preserve history and retire routine recipient access

Keep these inventory facts separate:

• produced
• in transit
• received
• on hold
• quality released
• allocated
• available to order
• first shipping
• predecessor remaining
• predecessor closed

Use the status supported by the inventory and fulfillment owners. Do not promise that an order contains a specific vintage unless the approved order and fulfillment process can support that promise.

Approve pricing for the successor item

A new vintage may continue an approved schedule, receive a replacement price, or remain pending commercial review. Record the decision for each distributor and market.

Commercial control	Required entry
Seller and distributor	Exact parties
Market and division	Scope of the price record
Successor item	Wine, vintage, bottle volume, and pack
Currency	Named currency
Basis	Bottle, case, pallet, or other defined unit
Approved price	Recipient-facing value
Adjustments	Separate approved programs, allowances, or conditions
Freight treatment	Included, separate, pickup, delivered, or other approved term
Effective context	Approved start event or release window
Commercial approver	Accountable person
State or market dependency	Separate filing, posting, or notice task when applicable
Superseded record	Prior price reference when applicable

Do not state pricing unchanged until the commercial owner confirms that the current record applies to the successor item. Check that the case pack used in every calculation matches the successor package.

Keep internal costs, margins, forecasts, and scenarios outside the distributor launch package. If a market has a separate price procedure, track it as its own gate rather than burying it in the announcement.

Verify warehouse and receiving readiness

A distributor announcement can generate orders. Confirm that the successor can move through the approved warehouse route before saying it is available.

Prepare and test:

Logistics control	Successor entry
Inventory owner	[Entity]
Ship-from location	[Facility and account]
Importer item	[SKU and description]
Distributor item	[Code and description]
Order unit	[Bottle, case, pallet, or other unit]
Bottle volume and case pack	[Approved configuration]
Case dimensions and gross weight	[Measured or approved specification]
Case label and barcode	[Approved treatment]
Pallet pattern	[Approved configuration when used]
Lot-code format	[Format and placement]
Purchase-order route	[System, email, portal, or other approved path]
Appointment and delivery process	[Current recipient instructions]
Claims and discrepancy contacts	[Named route]
First-shipment owner	[Person monitoring execution]

Measure the completed production case or use a current approved specification. Do not estimate gross case weight from nominal liquid volume.

Run a receiving simulation. Compare a sample purchase order, item descriptions, codes, pack, case label, price basis, ship point, and receiving record. Record unresolved differences before the first live shipment.

Publish one successor asset set

Build the new-vintage assets from the approved successor record. Do not release a new tech sheet beside an old bottle image or update the portfolio page while leaving the sell sheet unchanged.

A distributor-ready successor set can include:

• front bottle image
• back bottle or label image when requested
• current tech sheet
• current sell sheet
• short and long product descriptions
• tasting and service guidance
• portfolio overview
• verified certifications and claims
• successor-specific accolades
• training deck or release brief
• item and ordering reference
• approved price record for authorized recipients
• current sales and operations contacts

Track each asset:

Asset	Product and vintage scope	Market	Audience	Owner	Approval	Revision	Recipient location
[File or view]	[Exact successor item]	[Scope]	[Users]	[Owner]	[Status]	[Revision]	[Location]

Check that claims, bottle images, visible labels, filenames, document titles, links, and metadata all identify the successor. Do not copy a predecessor score, quotation, technical analysis, tasting note, or certification claim without current review.

Keep drafts, source analysis, expired rights, internal price models, and superseded default files outside distributor sales access. Test the recipient link and permissions from the distributor user’s perspective.

Prepare sales training and samples

The distributor team needs to understand what changed, what did not, how to order the successor, and how overlap will work.

Use this sales-readiness brief:

Training field	Required entry
Audience	Distributor sales, managers, educators, purchasing, or other group
Market and item	Exact successor scope
Predecessor relationship	What the successor replaces or follows
Product changes	Verified blend, production, analysis, tasting, package, or claim differences
Unchanged positioning	Approved continuing product or brand context
Availability	Exact operational wording
Order treatment	Successor code, predecessor code, and overlap guidance
Pricing reference	Approved audience document or contact
Assets	Current bottle image, tech sheet, sell sheet, and training material
Samples	Quantity, owner, route, recipient, and status
Questions	Product, item, order, asset, and escalation contacts
Restricted language	Claims or promises that should not be used

Do not present a sales target as a confirmed order or an allocation plan as available inventory. Give sales users one contact route for unresolved questions so corrections do not fragment across several email threads.

For samples, keep the successor and predecessor identifiable. Record the wine, vintage, bottle size, lot when needed, owner, quantity, purpose, recipient, shipment or handoff, and disposition according to the team’s applicable process.

Time the announcement after readiness gates

The existing new-vintage announcement template covers the detailed message structure and downstream tracking. The launch plan should decide when that message is safe to send and which actions it initiates.

Before sending, confirm:

• successor identity and product facts are approved
• compliance owner has cleared the package and market wording
• distributor item treatment is confirmed or clearly pending with a specific request
• price status and effective context are approved
• availability wording matches inventory and warehouse status
• overlap guidance names both vintages and codes
• successor assets are approved and accessible
• recipient list includes the functions that must act
• exact requested actions and response route are visible
• the importer owner can consolidate replies and exceptions

Use a short control table for the announcement package:

Message control	Required entry
Announcement ID	Stable internal reference
Launch revision	Approved source package
Distributor and market	Exact recipient scope
Purpose	Notice, item action, sales release, correction, or combined handoff
Prior and successor items	Wine, vintage, codes, volume, and pack
Availability and overlap	Approved wording for the market
Commercial reference	Approved status or separate pending task
Attachments and links	Exact current successor assets
Requested actions	Specific task by recipient function
Response requested	Confirmation, assigned code, approval, or exception
Sender	One coordinating importer contact
Approval	Exact message, recipients, files, links, and send context

Do not let the announcement become the source of truth. It should be a controlled output from the launch record.

Capture distributor setup and acceptance

A sent form or email does not prove that the live distributor item is correct. Keep submission and acceptance evidence for each workstream.

Distributor workstream	Submitted	Accepted	Live verification	Open condition
Item identity and vintage	[Evidence]	[Evidence]	[Result]	[Condition]
Distributor item code	[Request]	[Assigned treatment]	[Result]	[Condition]
Bottle volume and case pack	[Evidence]	[Evidence]	[Result]	[Condition]
Warehouse and receiving	[Evidence]	[Evidence]	[Result]	[Condition]
Price and effective context	[Evidence]	[Evidence]	[Result]	[Condition]
Availability	[Evidence]	[Evidence]	[Result]	[Condition]
Bottle image and assets	[Evidence]	[Evidence]	[Result]	[Condition]
Product description	[Evidence]	[Evidence]	[Result]	[Condition]
Sales and training access	[Evidence]	[Evidence]	[Result]	[Condition]

Save the exact workbook, portal values, email, attachments, links, recipients, and confirmation that left the importer. Write assigned distributor values back to the controlled source.

If the distributor corrects a submitted value, confirm the authoritative source before accepting the correction. Update the source record and every affected output rather than letting the distributor system become a disconnected exception.

Control the cutover across downstream locations

Build one row for every place that can repeat the vintage or route an order.

Downstream target	Owner	Successor action	Predecessor treatment	Status	Evidence
Importer product record	Product owner	Approve successor release	Preserve prior record	[Status]	[Evidence]
Importer item master	Item-data owner	Add or update market item	Keep overlap state	[Status]	[Evidence]
Inventory system	Inventory owner	Release successor quantity	Track remaining predecessor	[Status]	[Evidence]
Distributor item system	Distributor contact	Create or update item	Apply confirmed transition	[Status]	[Evidence]
Warehouse system	Logistics owner	Map codes, pack, and receiving	Preserve intentional overlap	[Status]	[Evidence]
Price list	Commercial owner	Publish approved successor treatment	Retire only when effective	[Status]	[Evidence]
Tech sheet and sell sheet	Brand owner	Publish successor files	Move prior files from default access when closed	[Status]	[Evidence]
Bottle-image collection	Brand owner	Publish successor views	Keep prior views identifiable during overlap	[Status]	[Evidence]
Product descriptions	Portfolio owner	Publish successor copy	Retain prior copy with prior item	[Status]	[Evidence]
Training material	Sales owner	Teach successor and overlap	Remove stale default references	[Status]	[Evidence]
Announcement recipients	Launch owner	Confirm requested action	Record exceptions	[Status]	[Evidence]

Search every downstream output for the predecessor vintage string. Review visible copy, filenames, image descriptions, bottle images, direct links, document titles, and PDF metadata. Keep intentional predecessor references during overlap and remove stale ones.

Monitor first orders and shipments

The launch is not closed when the announcement is sent. Monitor the first live activity through the full route.

Check the first orders for:

• correct distributor item code
• correct wine and vintage treatment
• correct bottle volume and case pack
• correct price basis and approved terms
• correct ship-from location
• correct case and pallet treatment
• clear predecessor or successor allocation
• accurate availability communication
• warehouse acceptance
• damage, shortage, refusal, or substitution exceptions
• sales access to current assets and contacts

Record the order reference, distributor, market, item, quantity unit, outcome, exception, owner, and resolution. Do not close the launch while a critical mismatch remains unresolved merely because inventory moved.

After the first activity, ask distributor item-data, purchasing, warehouse, and sales contacts whether the successor appears and behaves as intended. A live-item check should compare their system with the approved launch record.

Correct launch errors through a controlled replacement

A wrong code, pack, price, bottle image, technical fact, or announcement can spread across several systems. Correct the source first.

Use this process:

1. Identify the incorrect value, correct value, product, vintage, package, market, and affected recipients.
2. Stop routine use or shipment where the responsible owner requires it.
3. Confirm the correct source and accountable owner.
4. Update the controlled release, item, commercial, logistics, or asset record.
5. Find every system, document, image, submission, and message that repeated the error.
6. Repeat affected compliance, product, commercial, logistics, and brand approvals.
7. Issue replacement files and a clearly labeled correction.
8. Mark the former revision superseded while preserving history.
9. Capture distributor acknowledgment and downstream correction.
10. Retest the live item, order route, warehouse record, price, and asset access.

The correction should state what was wrong, what is correct, which item is affected, and what the recipient must do. Do not describe a correction as a routine vintage announcement.

Run the complete new-vintage launch workflow

1. Open the successor release. Preserve the predecessor and define producer, wine, vintage, package, markets, distributors, owners, and target context.
2. Create readiness gates. Assign product, compliance, item, commercial, inventory, logistics, asset, distributor, sales, and go-live approvals.
3. Reopen successor facts. Review identity, origin, blend, vineyards, production, analysis, tasting, certifications, and accolades.
4. Resolve source conflicts. Hold affected outputs until the deciding owner confirms the value.
5. Complete label and market review. Record approval references, conditions, state tasks, final labels, and physical package checks.
6. Decide item treatment. Confirm consumer, case, importer, distributor, state, and warehouse identifiers by issuer.
7. Define overlap. Set predecessor and successor states for every distributor market item.
8. Approve pricing. Lock currency, basis, pack, adjustments, freight, effective context, and market dependencies.
9. Confirm inventory. Record receipt, quality release, allocation, available quantity, and predecessor remaining.
10. Test logistics. Compare order, pick, case label, shipment, receiving, and exception routes.
11. Publish successor assets. Release current bottle images, sheets, descriptions, training, and approved commercial material.
12. Prepare distributor teams. Deliver training, samples, order guidance, overlap treatment, and escalation contacts.
13. Approve the announcement. Check readiness, recipients, requested actions, files, links, and response route.
14. Submit one controlled package. Preserve exact forms, portal values, messages, attachments, and recipients.
15. Capture acceptance. Record distributor item, warehouse, commercial, asset, and training decisions separately.
16. Execute the cutover. Update each downstream target and preserve intentional overlap.
17. Monitor first activity. Verify orders, shipments, receiving, pricing, item display, and asset access.
18. Close or correct. Resolve exceptions, publish controlled replacements, and retain the final launch history.

Depletement is a pre-launch workspace being designed for alcohol importer operations teams to organize product and catalog details, bottle and brand assets, tech sheets, sell sheets, distributor asset access, and vintage updates. Until a pre-launch product becomes part of an approved workflow, keep the launch in controls the team can inspect and verify.

Complete final new-vintage launch QA

Run this checklist against the controlled successor, physical package, market item, inventory, distributor setup, assets, announcement, and live order route.

Scope and ownership

• Producer, wine, predecessor, successor, package, market, distributor, and division are explicit.
• Product, release, market item, and launch records remain separate and linked.
• Importer owner, functional approvers, and distributor contacts are current.
• Each readiness gate has evidence, status, approver, and blocker.
• Target dates are distinguished from confirmed operational events.
• Every exception names the affected scope, owner, temporary treatment, approver, and closure condition.
• No overall completion percentage hides a blocked critical gate.

Product and compliance

• Producer, brand, wine, vintage, class or type, country, region, appellation, and varieties match approved sources.
• Blend, vineyard, harvest, fermentation, aging, ABV, analysis, tasting, and service details have successor evidence.
• Certifications, production claims, accolades, and quotations identify the correct release and scope.
• Every inherited field is confirmed unchanged, changed, pending, not approved, retired, or not applicable.
• Label files, approval references, allowable-revision decisions, conditions, and market scope are recorded.
• Final front, back, neck, closure, carton, and case presentation matches the approved successor package.
• Federal, state, local, distributor, warehouse, and internal decisions remain separate.
• Distributor acceptance is not presented as regulatory approval.

Item data and identifiers

• Producer code, consumer GTIN or UPC, case GTIN, importer SKU, distributor code, state code, and warehouse code remain separate.
• Every identifier has an issuer, packaging level, assignment source, and verification state.
• Distributor item treatment was confirmed for the named market rather than copied from another relationship.
• Bottle volume, case pack, item descriptions, and codes agree across importer, distributor, and warehouse records.
• Bottle and case codes were checked against the final package or controlled assignment.
• Pending distributor-owned codes remain pending instead of being invented.

Commercial, inventory, and logistics

• Seller, distributor, market, item, currency, price basis, pack, terms, and effective context are approved.
• Continued pricing was explicitly approved for the successor.
• Internal costs, margins, forecasts, and unapproved scenarios are excluded from recipient materials.
• Produced, in transit, received, held, released, allocated, and available states are distinguished.
• Predecessor remaining and successor available quantities have named sources and owners.
• Ship point, order unit, case dimensions, gross weight, pallet data, case label, lot code, and delivery process are current.
• A receiving simulation compared the purchase order, item, code, pack, label, price basis, and warehouse mapping.
• Availability language matches the approved inventory and fulfillment state.

Assets, training, and announcement

• Bottle images, label images, tech sheet, sell sheet, descriptions, portfolio, and training material show the same successor.
• Asset owner, audience, market, rights, approval, revision, and recipient location are recorded.
• No predecessor score, quotation, analysis, tasting note, certification, or image moved forward without review.
• Drafts, expired rights, source evidence, internal pricing, and superseded default files are excluded from distributor access.
• Distributor users can open and download current assets without gaining access to restricted material.
• Training explains product changes, unchanged positioning, item treatment, overlap, availability, and contacts.
• Samples identify the correct vintage and have an owner, quantity, route, recipient, and status.
• The announcement was sent only after the required readiness gates were met or accepted exceptions were visible.
• Message, comparison data, attachments, links, recipients, requested actions, and response route received approval.

Distributor acceptance and cutover

• The exact item forms, portal values, emails, files, links, and recipients submitted are retained.
• Item, code, warehouse, price, availability, asset, and training acceptance are recorded separately.
• Distributor-assigned values were written back to the controlled source.
• Every downstream system, document, and recipient has an owner, action, status, and evidence.
• Both vintages remain clearly identified during intentional overlap.
• Predecessor references were checked in copy, filenames, images, descriptions, links, titles, and metadata.
• Predecessor files were removed from routine successor access only after the responsible owners confirmed closure.
• A distributor user can find the current item, code, price reference, bottle image, product sheet, and contact.

First activity and closure

• First orders use the correct item, vintage treatment, volume, pack, price basis, and ship point.
• First shipments use the approved case, pallet, label, lot, and receiving treatment.
• Warehouse acceptance and material exceptions are recorded.
• Distributor item-data, purchasing, warehouse, and sales contacts confirmed the live successor where required.
• Corrections changed the controlled source before downstream outputs.
• Replacement files and notices identify the corrected value and superseded revision.
• Recipient acknowledgment and live correction were verified.
• Every gate is closed or has a remaining accepted action with an owner.
• A second reviewer can trace the live successor from source evidence through approvals, distributor acceptance, first orders, and any corrections.