Rosenblum Sold

Rosenblum CellarsAnother family-owned winery has been bought out by a mega-conglomerate wine company. Following in the footsteps of other such pioneering family wineries like Mondavi and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Rosenblum Cellars of Alameda has been sold to Diageo for US $105 million. Kent & Kathy Rosenblum founded their winery 30 years ago and then made the move to their current home in Alameda in 1987. The deal was announced 01/25/08.

I first read about this in Jessica Yadegaran’s great Corkheads blog that she writes for the Contra Costa Times. While it is disheartening to hear about yet another legendary private winery being sold to a large corporation, it is heartening to read that the deal intends to keep the current workforce and basically leave the winery, as is. Perhaps the huge financial backing will allow for further and better sources of grapes, but as Jessica points out in the comments…it’s Rosenblum, do they really need that help to get premium Zinfandel grapes.

Vinopanion: Ward Kadel - @drXeNo

View posts by Vinopanion: Ward Kadel - @drXeNo
Ward Kadel - @drXeNo is the founder of Vinopanion wine blog, former West Coast Ambassador & Staff Blogger for WineLog.net and former Le Wine Buff for Bordeaux.com (CIVB). He will try any and all wines and tends to write about the parts of his life that include wine...like virtually all of it! He and his wife grew up in Napa and Sonoma and they still live in the Napa Valley. Check out the wines he's recommended with his WKBadges. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram and Like #Vinopanion on Facebook. Contact him: "Ward at WineLog.net". Ward happily accepts samples but does not guarantee a review, positive or negative.

2 Comments

  1. Jason
    February 1, 2008

    I haven’t read anything on this case, but I have the feeling that Diagio will play into the “comoditization” of wine.

    Pros:
    – More consistant flavors.
    – Lower prices.
    – Your friends will be exposed to more wine.

    Cons:
    – Consistant flavor a.k.a. lack of character.
    – Lower prices = more pressure on the little guys who could go under
    – You friends are exposed to more _bad_ wine.

  2. […] More major wineries have been sold in the US. This time, unlike some of the more recent major deals in the wine biz, two conglomerates are shuffling their portfolios. Constellation brands, one of the top two largest international wine conglomerates, has announced (AP commentary) that they are selling eight wineries to a new player in the field, the  reformed Ascentia Wine Estates (Eight Estates Fine Wines) of Healdsburg, CA. […]

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