Viansa Winery snapped up by Vintage Wine Estates

(PD) - Vintage Wine Estates, the fast-growing Santa Rosa wine company, announced a deal late Thursday to buy Viansa Winery and Marketplace, located at the southern gateway to Sonoma's Wine Country.

“They have a tremendous hospitality business, and a tremendous draw being so close to San Francisco,” said Pat Roney, president of Vintage Wine Estates.

The deal includes the Viansa winery and brand, its 168-acre property which includes wetlands and 15 acres of vineyards, and the winery's equipment, inventory and customer list, Roney said.

The property had been listed by Sotheby's International Realty for $15 million. The inventory and other aspects of the business were listed by a broker at an additional $10 million, for a total of $25 million, Roney said.

While Roney confirmed the listing price, he did not disclose what his company paid for Viansa, citing confidentiality agreements.

The deal marks Vintage Wine Estates' second North Coast acquisition in less than two months. The group bought Clos Pegase Winery in Calistoga in late August, adding it to a portfolio of properties that includes Girard Winery, Cosentino Winery, Windsor Vineyards, Sonoma Coast Vineyards, Cartlidge & Browne Winery, and Ray's Station.

“You like to spread them out and do them in an orderly basis, but sometimes you have to make your decisions when the market makes decisions,” Roney said. “But hopefully this will be it for a bit. I have no current planned acquisitions.”

The winery employs about 60 full-time and part-time workers. There will be some changes to staffing, including consolidation of some management and finance positions, Roney said. He also plans to expand hospitality, events and wine club staff.