Willamette Valley Vineyards, Inc. Announces New Planned Winery in Dundee Hills, Four New Planned Winery Restaurants and A New Winemaking & Vineyard Leadership Position
June 23, 2021 at 05:43 pm EDT
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Willamette Valley Vineyards, Inc. announced that it plans on building a new winery in the Dundee Hills close to the Company's new boutique, dedicated sparkling winery at Bernau Estate Vineyard. This new winemaking facility is intended to become the Company's primary location for the production and bottling of the Company's various brands, and is expected to be built on 40 acres in the Dundee Hills AVA adjacent to Highway 99 that the Company purchased four years ago. The Company has engaged Steve Martin Associates of Sonoma County, California to assist in the planning, design and development of this winemaking facility. The Company has also announced that it is looking for candidates to fill a newly established Director of Winemaking and Vineyards position that will report to the Company's Winery Director. The Company's Director of Winemaking and Vineyards is expected to be responsible for the operations of the Company's wineries and vineyards, which currently includes a team of 65 full and part-time employees and consists of 16 vineyards owned or leased by the Company totaling 490 producing acres. The new Director of Winemaking and Vineyards will also be expected to develop new estate vineyards and produce new brands and products, as well as oversee the planning, building and development of the planned expansion facility. The Company has also announced that it is planning on opening within the next two years four new restaurants (collectively, the "Winery Restaurants") in the following cities: Lake Oswego, Happy Valley and Bend in Oregon and on the Vancouver Waterfront in Washington. The Winery Restaurants are expected to offer Pacific Northwest-inspired dishes to pair with the Company's classic Oregon wines as well as offer customers a new membership program. The Company is hoping to build on the launch of the Company's micro-winery in Folsom California in 2020, and is hoping that through the opening of the Winery Restaurants, more consumers will be introduced to the Company's wines.
Willamette Valley Vineyards, Inc. owns and operates vineyards, wineries and tasting rooms, and produces and distributes premium, super premium, and ultra-premium wines, primarily Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Riesling and Sparkling wine. The Company has two segments: direct sales and distributor sales. The Direct sales segment includes retail sales in the tasting rooms, wine club sales, online sales, on-site events, kitchen and catering sales and other sales made directly to the consumer without the use of an intermediary. The Distributor sales segment includes all sales through a third party where prices are given at a wholesale rate. The grapes are harvested, fermented and made into wine primarily at the Company's winery in Turner, Oregon and the wines are sold principally under its Willamette Valley Vineyards label, but also under the Domaine Willamette, Griffin Creek, Tualatin Estate, Pambrun, Maison Bleue, Natoma, Metis, Pere Ami and Elton labels.
Willamette Valley Vineyards, Inc. Announces New Planned Winery in Dundee Hills, Four New Planned Winery Restaurants and A New Winemaking & Vineyard Leadership Position