Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/975273
12 WINES&VINES May 2018 WINE INDUSTRY NEWS ILLUSTRATION—BIBI SUMMER DiBuduo retiring from Allied growers The Allied Grape Growers (AGG) announced that Nat DiBuduo is retiring as president and CEO of the group at the end of June. The AGG's board also announced vice president of operations Jeff Bitter as the next president of the state- wide marketing group that has more than 500 members. The AGG praised DiBuduo for his advocacy on behalf of its members as well as securing financial stability "with a solid grower base and excellent winery relations," and his "tire- less" work on numerous industry boards and committees. "Serving California winegrape growers since 2000 has been the pinnacle of my career," DiBuduo said in the state- ment announcing the change. "My previous roles in farm management, independent consulting and vine- yard development positioned me to understand the challenges fac- ing California grape growers and equipped me with the desire and ability to make a difference." Sonoma Vintners pledge funds for housing The Sonoma County Vintners Foun- dation has announced a pledge of $600,000 toward the development of an affordable housing community comprised of modular cottages for individuals and families that lost their homes or were otherwise dis- placed by the October 2017 wild- fires. The money will come from the foundation's Hamel/Fogerty Fund, and the group Homes for Sonoma will receive the gift. Homes for Sonoma is collaborating with architects, businesses and local planning officials to create neigh- borhoods of compact cottages clustered around outdoor commu- nal areas, a soccer field and shared garden. The group is working with the cities of Santa Rosa and Wind- sor to establish such a community. The group's goal is to raise $4 mil- lion and build 40 cottages and has also received donations from North Bay Fire Relief and the International Interior Design Association. "Even before the fires, Sonoma County was a tight housing market. Our vi- sion for modular homes not only meets the immediate housing needs of those impacted, but can also be part of a long-term solu- tion," said Aaron Jobson, architect and a member of the group's ex- ecutive committee. Vintage receives $75 million investment Pat Roney, CEO and president of Vintage Wine Estates (VWE) in Santa Rosa, Calif., announced that AGR Partners, an investment firm focused on food and agribusi- ness, has provided growth capital through a minority equity stake in the company. According to VWE, the $75 million investment by AGR and existing shareholders will help support future winery and brand ac- quisitions and expansion-related production efficiencies. Recent VWE acquisitions include Tama- rack Cellars in Washington state, Firesteed Vineyards, in Oregon and the California brands Layer Cake, Cherry Pie and If You See Kay. AGR Partners' portfolio of investments in food and agribusiness compa- nies includes Almark Foods, Ridley, Opal Foods, SEMO Milling, 3D Cor- porate Solutions, Icicle Seafoods and Tru-Test Group. Foley buys Acrobat brand Foley Family Wines in Santa Rosa, acquired the Acrobat wine brand from King Estate Winery in Eugene, Ore. The Acrobat brand, known for Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris, was expected to grow to more than 150,000 cases in 2018, according to the joint statement announcing the deal. Hugh Reimers, president of Foley Family Wines, said the deal, which did not include any real estate, gives the company a competitive brand in the fast grow- ing $15 to $20 category. "There's a lot of opportunity to grow Pinot Noir in that $15 to $20 price point in Oregon, so it kind of fills that gap for us," Reimers told Wines & Vines. "A to Z and Erath hold the number one and two spots, and we'd like to chase those guys." Willamette Valley auction surpasses $800,000 The Willamette Valley Wineries As- sociation's third annual Willamette: The Pinot Noir Auction on April 7 in Newberg, Ore., raised $737,000 through bidding and brought in more than $800,000 in total revenue for the trade group. The 2018 auc- tion total surpassed the previous year's auction by 56%. The auc- tion included 78 lots of unique Pinot Noir wines and three collaborative lots of Chardonnay from the 2016 vintage. Each lot included five, 10 or 20 cases of wine. The average winning bid in the auction was $9,099 with an average bottle price of $124. The top-selling lot was a five-case offering by winemaker Maggie Harrison and Antica Terra winery that sold for $33,000. The top collaborative Chardonnay lot was five cases produced by Bethel Heights and Walter Scott Wines and sold for $12,000. Breakthru affiliate buys New England distributor Connecticut Distributors Inc. (CDI), an affiliate of Breakthru Beverage Group, announced it acquired New England Wine & Spirits. With this acquisition, CDI will now have state-wide exclusivity for Bare- foot Cellars, Bogle Vineyards, and Wente Vineyards. The deal takes effect May 1, and CDI plans to es- tablish the New England Division, a new retail sales division that will continue to represent many of the brands that are currently sold by New England Wine & Spirits. China raises tariff on U.S. wines by 15% U.S. wineries will find it more difficult to make a profit when exporting their products to China now that the Chinese Ministry of Commerce has raised its tariff on all U.S. wines entering the country. The move came in retaliation for the Trump administration's recent tariff hikes on Chinese steel and aluminum and puts U.S. wineries at even more of a disadvantage there versus some of their international competitors who already enjoyed lower tariffs. See page 13. LATEST NEWS More detail on the news at winesandvines.com. Top Stories The month in perspective Nat DiBuduo Auctioneer Fritz Hatton