Fetzer Wine Sold To Chilean Company

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed)
Mar 3rd 2011 at 12:01AM

California-based Feztzer Vineyards has a new owner. Brown-Forman Corporation has announced it is selling Fetzer Vineyards to Chilean wine producer Viña Concha y Toro S.A. for $238 million. Brown-Forman had acquired Fetzer in 1992 from the Fetzer family. Fetzer sold more than three million cases in 2010 and the winery has a focus on sustainable viticulture.

The sale includes the Fetzer winery, bottling facility, and vineyards, as well as the Fetzer brand and other Hopland, California-based wines, including Bonterra, Little Black Dress, Jekel, Five Rivers, Bel Arbor, Coldwater Creek, and Sanctuary as well as a facility in Paso Robles, California. The sale doesn't include the Sonoma-Cutrer brand or the company's long-term agency relationship with Korbel California Champagnes.

The sale is expected to close in April 2011. Viña Concha y Toro S.A. is Latin America's leading producer and exports wine to 135 countries worldwide. Viña Concha y Toro S.A. is Latin America's leading producer and exports wine to135 countries worldwide. Eduardo Guilisasti, Chief Executive Officer of Viña Concha y Toro said: "The Fetzer acquisition is the largest transaction of this type in the company's history. It represents a continuation of our business strategy, which has been carried out successfully over time and enabled us to enjoy steady growth. We believe that this transaction opens additional growth opportunities globally, as well as in the American market, with its main brands Fetzer and Bonterra."

Filed under: Wine