Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/70670
Headlines J ANU AR Y NEWS JULY NEWS NEWS BY TE S S OREGON TRAINS WINE TASTERS ing panel to evalu- ate wines made from research plots in the state. The new panel will get its first taste of Oregon State University's research wines this summer, when it is convened to assess wines made from a crop load study undertaken by extension viticulturist Patty Skinkis. Learn more: Search keywords "Oregon tasters." WASHINGTON AREA PURSUES AvA Accolade Wines announced the purchase of Geyser Peak Winery and two other wine brands. Remaining Ascentia Wineries Sold Off G eyserville, Calif.—Following the sale of the last wineries in the Ascentia Wine Estates group, an Australian wine company has moved into the U.S., and E. & J. Gallo Winery has a big stake in the Washington wine industry. Australia's Accolade Wines confirmed its purchase of Geyser Peak Winery in Gey- serville, Calif., as well as the Atlas Peak and XYZin brands on June 1. Accolade Wines North America man- aging director Tim Matz said Accolade Wines plans to revitalize the labels. "These brands have a great deal of history and resonance within the California story. This is a great opportunity to reinvigorate with investment," he said. A few days later, Gallo announced that it had purchased 150,000-case Columbia Winery in Woodinville, Wash., and 175,000- case Covey Run in Sunnyside, Wash. "We have been watching the Washington wine industry grow for a number of years and consider these wine brands to be a key part of our premium wine strategy moving forward," said Roger Nabedian, senior vice president and general manager of Gallo's Premium Wine Division, "This purchase will help us expand our footprint and of- 14 Wines & Vines JULY 2012 of Columbia Valley AVA would include 162,762 acres at the eastern foot of the Cascade Mountains located in Douglas, Grant and Kittitas A Gallo expands reach, Aussie group enters U.S. market fer our customers wines from the Columbia Valley and Yakima Valley appellations." The deals followed Precept Wine's pur- chase of St. Chapelle Winery in Caldwell, Idaho, in May. Precept solidified its position as the largest privately owned vintner in the Pacific North- west with the acquisition. The deal makes Precept the largest single producer in Idaho, where it also owns Sawtooth Estate Win- ery and 470 acres of vineyards (acquired in January 2010.) Between Sawtooth and Ste. Chapelle, Precept now boasts production of 140,000 cases in Idaho, putting it on track to move 1 million total cases this year (second only to Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, also from Washington state.) San Francisco, Calif.- winesandvines.com based investment bank Demeter Group ad- vised Ascentia in all of the deals. In 2011, Boisset Family Estates pur- chased Buena Vista winery, and Vincraft Group bought Gary Farrell Winery. Ascen- tia Wine Estates purchased all of its former wineries from Constellation Brands. The group, based in Healdsburg, Calif., formed with an initial investment of $209 million. —Wines & Vines staff Learn more: Search keyword "Accolade." winesandvines.com Learn more: Search keywords "Ancient Lakes." counties. Currently part of the Columbia Valley AVA, the proposed appellation is home to six wineries and six vineyards to- taling 1,399 acres. The name of the AVA refers to a series of water-filled depres- sions situated along the eastern edge of the Quincy Basin and left over from the glacial floods that swept through central Washington in prehistoric times. new AVA is in the works for Washing- ton state. The proposed Ancient Lakes ixty Oregon winemakers have been trained to serve as an industry tast- winesandvines.com Sawyer Cellars fOLEy BUyS SAWyER CELLARS of wineries under the Foley Family Wines umbrella to nine. Foley did not disclose how much he paid for the winery but did say he plans to build a bigger winery at the Sawyer Cellars site located in Rutherford, Calif. B winesandvines.com Learn more: Search keyword "Sawyer." ill Foley has purchased Sawyer Cellars in Napa Valley, increasing the number