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Headlines J ANU AR Y NEWS SEPTEMBER NEWS NEWS BY TE S W WOODINVILLE'S FOCUS: TOURISM Vintners and Growers Reunite in Mendocino OR Voluntary association replaces defunct wine commission growers and wine- makers to reunite after growers voted down the U state-au- thorized Mendoci- no Winegrape and Wine Commission (MWWC) earlier this year. Pacific Ocean kiah, Calif.— It didn't take long for grape - CALIFORNIA Mendocino Ukiah Mendocino Winegrowers Inc. Napa San Francisco Members have chosen a name for a new and voluntary alliance of growers and vintners—Men- docino Winegrowers Inc.—and the group is already in business. "The direction of the group was apparent very quickly," said MWI Formation Board member Zac Rob- inson of Husch Vineyards. "Lots of ideas were expressed at the community meet- ings, but several recurring themes showed us our common ground." CALIFORNIA Monterey Mendocino Winegrowers Inc. is a volun- tary membership-based nonprofit group. NV said Katrina Frey of Frey Vineyards. In addition to Robin- son and Lee, the MWI Formation Board of Directors includes Ed Berry, Leroy Chase, Paul Dolan, M.J. Gi- rard, George Phelan, Fred Buonanno and Matt Meyer. MWI be- gan operation Aug. 1 and has begun its first missions of outreach and organizational structure; a conven- tional 12-month fiscal year will start Nov. 1. All growers and vintners in Mendoci- The shared mission of the voluntary, membership-based not-for-profit group is to promote Mendocino grapes and wine. With more than 300 grapegrowers and nearly 100 wineries in the county, MWI in- tends to partner with Mendocino County's active appellation associations including Destination Hopland, the Anderson Val- ley Winegrowers Alliance and A Taste of Redwood Valley as well as the Mendocino Farm Bureau and the countywide market- ing group Visit Mendocino. "Working together as an association benefits the entire industry in our county," 14 WINES & VINES SEPTEMBER 2012 no County were previously members of the Mendocino Winegrape and Wine Commis- sion, which ceased operation June 30. Robinson moderated a gathering at Hand- ley Cellars in Philo on July 24 as part of the effort to form a new organization to repre- sent Mendocino County's wine industry. "Everything is ab- solutely fantastic. I thought it would be an uphill battle to get everyone together, but everyone is enthu- siastic," Robinson said at the time. "What's coming together is a general consensus. Of course we're going to build a new group—in- cluding both vintners and growers." For more information about the new Mendocino WineGrowers Inc., contact George Lee at leegf@prfrrg.com or Robin- son at zac@huschvineyards.com. —Jane Firstenfeld winesandvines.com Learn more: Search keywords "Mendocino reunite." inery tasting rooms in the Seattle suburb of Woodinville have enjoyed such success that the Woodinville Wine Country group is now shifting its focus to market- ing the area rather than coordinating events. Originally established in 2002, the organi- zation fueled the growth of a cluster of tast- ing rooms that attracts more than 300,000 visitors per year. The new marketing ef- forts will emphasize wine but also tout the broader range of activities in Woodinville. winesandvines.com Learn more: Search keywords "Woodinville tourism." SCHOOL RELEASES FIRST WINE onoma State University's Wine Busi- ness Institute released its first wine under the Sonoma State Cellars label. The 2010 red blend was donated by Erik Miller, owner and wine- maker at Kokomo Winery in Healds- S winesandvines.com Learn more: Search keywords "Sonoma State Cellars." burg, Calif. Students created a business plan for the wine, handled compliance and packaging, and organized a launch party. The school has plans to expand the project to two barrels for the upcoming vintage. NEW LIFE FOR BOTTLE PLANT n July 17, trial bottles began rolling off the lines of a new wine bottle man- ufacturing plant, with commercial produc- tion set to begin later in the month. Cam- eron Family Glass Packaging LLC built the 175,000-square-foot plant in 2008 but it shut down a year later after a fire. Cam- eron Family Glass filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in O winesandvines.com Learn more: Search keywords "Benner Glass." late 2009, and a new firm, Bennu Glass, purchased most of its assets through a court-ordered sale in early 2010 and set about reviving the plant.