Wine Industry – North Bay Business Journal - North San Francisco Bay Area, Sonoma, Marin, Napa counties

Business news: Week of Dec. 19, 2011

December 19th, 2011

Solano County’s chambers of commerce recently honored local businesses and community members, such as Meyer Corp. and Travis Credit Union, for their contributions to the community at the Spirit of Solano luncheon. … Fairfield-based MV Transportation, Inc. announced the opening of its new Dallas location in the well-known and centrally located Premier Place Building at 5910 North Central Expressway. … Napa Valley Vintners, a nonprofit trade association representing more than 420 wineries in the appellation, announced that the country of Thailand has recognized Napa Valley with Geographic Indication (GI) Status that will protect the American wine region from misuse of its name in wine labeling in that country.
Growers wish for a normal year; Sonoma harvest down estimated 20%

December 12th, 2011

After three consecutive years with early and late rains and hard frosts in some areas negatively impacting winegrape production, growers and wineries in the North Bay and coastal regions of California cling to hope for sustainable yields and better returns in 2012 and beyond.
Amorim buys south Napa land for expansion

December 12th, 2011

In another expansion move by Portugal-based Amorim Group cork distributors in Napa Valley this year, Amorim Cork America purchased 3.36 acres of land between Devlin Road and Highway 29 just north of Napa Valley Gateway Business Park. Pedro Fernandes, general manager, declined to comment on plans for the property. Industry sources point to the property [...]
Grape Market Insights: Bulk cabernet inventory reveals naked truth of shortages

December 12th, 2011

Commodity traders watch feed prices and count pork bellies. As for me, I watch what is hanging on grape vines (not much right now) and I study our proprietary data, especially bulk-wine inventories. Those two data points, plus a good bottle of Sonoma County cabernet sauvignon, can reveal the future. Let’s talk 2012, and let’s talk North Coast cab.
People: Week of Dec. 12, 2011

December 12th, 2011

Banking and Finance Summit State Bank hired Britt Cooper as its senior vice president branch relationship manager. Mr. Cooper has 28 years of banking experience in Sonoma County. He has been a branch manager and commercial banker, both with the vice president title. He has his Master’s Degree in organizational development and human resources from [...]
Wine industry specialist Ausburn joins BPM as senior manager

December 6th, 2011

SANTA ROSA — Accounting and consulting firm Burr Pilger Mayer announced the hiring of Michelle Ausburn to the firm’s Santa Rosa office today. She joins as a senior manager in the Assurance Services Practice Group, a move that will take effect at the start of 2012.
Trinchero Napa Valley: ‘A legacy to my grandparents’

December 5th, 2011

The Trinchero family has been producing wine in Napa Valley since acquiring Sutter Home Winery in 1947, but they waited until just the past several years to find the right home for their luxury brand, Trinchero Napa Valley.
Vineyard pond project taps law to ‘dedicate’ water to fish

November 28th, 2011

HOPLAND — Conversions of former pear orchards in Mendocino County to grapevines is nothing new and construction of sizable off-stream ponds to collect winter stream runoff for spring vine frost protection is gaining momentum with new state and local rules, but one major North Coast winegrape grower’s project to do both adds a new element, dedicating a majority of historical water rights back to the stream.
Important legal changes for wine, alcohol in 2012

November 28th, 2011

Important laws and regulations affecting members of the California wine and alcohol beverage industry in 2012 include clarification on third-party marketing and promotions, a new direct-to-consumer wine retail license, permission for on-premise infusion of wine and spirits with flavors, a change in the definition of “distilled spirits” for taxation purposes, new state Russian River frost-protection water rules and agricultural union elections law changes.
Business news: Week of Nov. 21, 2011

November 21st, 2011

Brief news about north San Francisco Bay area companies: RPM Mortgage opens San Rafael branch; Speedpro Imaging-Marin starts vinyl banner recycling; Marin General Hospital Foundation raises $340,000 for Spine & Brain Institute; Calix customer Vermont Telephone Company deplys optical network terminals; Russian River Valley wineries form tasting room network Taste Route 116
Pauli elected to lead statewide winegrape group

November 18th, 2011

Longtime Mendocino County winegrape grower Bill Pauli was elected chairman of the California Association of Winegrape Growers at its Nov. 10 board meeting.
TricorBraun wine group packs for Fairfield

November 14th, 2011

BENICIA — The wine division of St. Louis-based packaging supplier TricorBraun plans to move its Northern California distribution facility to a larger, automated distribution facility in Fairfield early next year.
Difficult 2011 harvest not having big lending impact

November 14th, 2011

The cold 2011 season and wet harvest dampened North Coast crop yields by as much as one-third from norms by early estimates, and lenders are closely observing grower ability to make payments on crop and other loans with fewer tons to sell and higher vineyard-management costs.
North Coast wine industry sings the ‘hang time’ blues

November 14th, 2011

According to Brian’s Dictionary of Wine, the term hang time designates three related times: a time of flavor development for grapes, a time of anxiety and expectation for winemakers and a time of dread, despair and paranoia for grape growers. The poor grape broker’s job is to try to reconcile these three times to keep everyone happy — a tough task in a year like 2011, when no one is anything remotely like happy.
Winery Exchange revamps Echelon with North Coast grapes

November 14th, 2011

After acquiring the Echelon Vineyards brand from Diageo Chateau & Estates Wines early this year, Novato-based Winery Exchange has revamped the brand inside the bottle and out. … Boisset Family Estates, whose U.S. portfolio of brands includes DeLoach, Buena Vista and Raymond, formed a “strategic partnership” with 75,000-case-a-year Lockwood Vineyard in Monterey County. … Part of the makeover of the Main Street Exchange building at 1040 Main St. in downtown Napa, are tenant improvements to accommodate 22 employees of Huneeus Vintners. The Huneeus family wine company plans to relocate accounting, sales administration and marketing personnel from the Quintessa winery in St. Helena to 5,800 square feet in Napa around the beginning of next year … What started as a novel packaging idea to distinguish their 400-case-a-year Rua wine brand has turned into a business in its own right for Windsor-based wine sales and marketing veterans Máire Murphy and her husband, Walt Averill. In the past year since launching CapaBunga — a surfer-esque play on “capsule” and wine barrel “bung” — they’ve sold 117,000 of the stretchable food-grade silicone bottleneck capsules. … Tony Linegar, 46, Mendocino County agricultural commissioner and sealer of weights and measures for nearly three years, will move to that role in Sonoma County on Jan. 3. The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors approved his appointment Tuesday. … With harvest mostly over in the North Coast, it’s the start of wine business conference season.
Suitor woos Michel-Schlumberger

November 10th, 2011

HEALDSBURG — After previous attempts to purchase Michel-Schlumberger, a Southern California-based investor who owns Alder Fels and other California and French wineries has acquired the Dry Creek Valley boutique vintner.
Commercial brokerages focus on wine

November 7th, 2011

Cornish & Carey Commercial Newmark Knight Frank agents Kevin Foster and Preston Smith in the Santa Rosa office and Brian Gleason in the Larkspur office were recently sanctioned by the worldwide network of brokerages as a specialty practice, called the Wine Services Group. The London-based Knight Frank part of the network already has such a group working with wine-related properties in Europe.
More than wine from these vines

November 7th, 2011

SANTA ROSA — Barbara Banke, chairwoman of Jackson Family Wines, and Chalk Hill Winery co-founder Peggy Furth are launching WholeVine, intended to eventually become a charitable business developing products from as many of the parts of vine as possible with quality as premium as the winegrapes.
Inaugural ‘Flavor’ celebration of Napa food, wine

November 7th, 2011

NAPA — A star-studded, four-day wine and food festival will soon take place in the Napa Valley, marking the first time the region synonymous with fine dining and wine will hold a gathering of such significance on its own turf.
Napa to host major wine-tourism conference

November 7th, 2011

NAPA — The Napa Valley will play host to the first North American Wine Tourism Conference, which aims to highlight trends and issues that impact stakeholders within two sectors that are often intimately intertwined.