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12 WINES&VINES March 2018 WINE INDUSTRY NEWS Stoller acquires Chehalem Bill Stoller has bought out part- ner Harry Peterson-Nedry's share of Chehalem winery in the Willa- mette Valley. The two had owned the winery for the past 24 years. According to a statement announc- ing the deal, the transition will allow Peterson-Nedry more time to focus on his 48-acre vineyard in the Rib- bon Ridge AVA and his winery, RR. Read about more transactions in the Pacific Northwest on page 16. Sonoma tasting room moratorium extended The Sonoma (Calif.) City Council unanimously voted in mid-January to extend a 45-day moratorium on downtown tasting rooms until Sept. 30. During the interim period, city staff will study the pros and cons of having a tasting room cluster in So- noma's downtown area. According to Wines Vines Analytics, 55 winer- ies in the ZIP code including down- town Sonoma have tasting rooms. Employees buy Naked Winery The three founders of Naked Winery in Hood River, Ore., announced they have sold the company to a small investment group of employees led by the company's winemaker and general manager, Peter Steinfeld. Founded in 1999 by David and Jody Barringer and Dave Michalec, the winery now produces around 45,000 cases and five brands. Steinfeld joined the winery in 2009, and his partners include tasting room manager Lindsey Ewald and her fiancé and former winery em- ployee James Nygren. Pipeline dispute prompts wine boycott The Canadian province of Alberta will boycott wine imports from Brit- ish Columbia in response to British Columbia delaying expansion of the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline. Alberta premier Rachel Notley ordered the Alberta Gam- ing and Liquor Commission to halt wine imports from British Columbia, which is home to 312 wineries, ac- cording to Wines Vines Analytics. Theorem expands vineyard holdings The company that owns Theorem Vineyards purchased 23 vineyard acres in Sonoma County, accord- ing to public records. Theorem Vine- yards produces Cabernet Sauvignon with an average bottle price of $50, according to Wines Vines Analytics, from a winery property near Calis- toga, Calif. The new vineyard loca- tion is in the Dry Creek Valley AVA and planted to white wine varieties. Wholesalers spend more than $100 million on political campaigns A report from the National Asso- ciation of Wine Retailers found that alcohol wholesalers have contrib- uted more than $107 million to the campaigns of candidates running for political office in the United States during the past five election cycles. Trade associations for state and national wholesalers have funded campaigns in Washington, Texas, Il- linois, New York, California, Florida, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio the most heavily. Party leaders in Texas have been top beneficiaries of the dona- tions. The top year for contributions by wholesalers was 2012, when state campaigns received $28.3 million. San Juan Vineyards gets new owner Washington Vintners of Walla Walla, Wash., purchased San Juan Vine- yards, located in the Puget Sound AVA, on Feb. 1. Yvonne and Steve Swanberg founded San Juan Vine- yards in 1996 and specialized in white wine cultivars. According to Wines Vines Analytics, San Juan Vineyards produces 3,500 cases per year in Friday Harbor, Wash. Winery settles claims in ammonia case Gibson Wine Co. of Sanger, Calif., will pay $330,000 and make im- provements worth $300,000 in connection with a 2012 event that resulted in the accidental release of anhydrous ammonia, causing the death of a winery employee. The settlement agreed upon by the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Agency will resolve allegations the company violated the Clean Air Act. Deutsch family invests in Cabernet label Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits pur- chased a 50% stake in Bellacosa, the North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon brand started by Dan Cohn in Oc- tober 2014. Bellacosa sources fruit from Napa and Sonoma counties. The Deutsch Family portfolio also includes Josh Cellars, Kunde Family Estate and Layer Cake, among others. Long Meadow Ranch sues investor Long Meadow Ranch (LMR) Wine Estates is suing Thaxter Sharp, a private-equity investor, for fail- ing to fund a transaction meant to purchase a 13-acre Napa Valley vineyard and costing LMR more than $300,000 in funds fronted for escrow, Wine Business Monthly re- ported. The investor also allegedly wrote $7 million worth of checks without sufficient funding, accord- ing to suit filings. Kroger spins off convenience stores Supermarket chain The Kroger Co. has agreed to sell more than 750 convenience stores to U.K.-based EG Group in a deal worth $2.15 bil- lion. Operating in 18 states, Kroger's convenience store holdings include Loaf'N'Jug, Kwik Shop, Tom Thumb, Quik Stop and Turkey Hill. As part of the deal, EG Group will establish a North American headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio. 2017 California crush reaches 4 million tons—barely Data from the preliminary Califor- nia Grape Crush Report for 2017 show that Chardonnay is still the state's No. 1 grape, and fruit from premium regions is commanding higher prices each year. Prices for white wine varieties fell 3.6% across the state, but Chardonnay prices held their ground. Yields for Cab- ernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Pinot Grigio set a new record for statewide tonnage. See page 13. TWE opts for smaller distributors Treasury Wine Estates is making distribution changes in key states as part of "route-to-market improvements," the Australia-based winery announced. The company that owns Acacia, Provenance, Stags' Leap Winery and Hewitt Vineyard in California will break with distribution giant Southern-Glazer's Wine & Spirits, which represented the company in California, Florida, Washington, Colorado, Iowa and South Carolina. See page 14. LATEST NEWS More detail on the news at winesandvines.com. Top Stories The month in perspective Dan Cohn