The Wine Foundry Launches New Custom Wine Production Facility in Sonoma

SONOMA, Calif., Oct. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Wine Foundry announced it has launched operations in its new custom wine production facility at 21660 8^th St. East in the town of Sonoma. The company is owned by Castlegate Capital Advisors, LLC, which in August of 2012 acquired the assets (equipment, barrels, wine, etc.) of Crushpad, Inc.

According to Philip Von Burg, the Founder and Principal of Castlegate Capital, "When we looked at Crushpad we saw a solid core business that fit perfectly with our vision, expertise and passion. With its opening in 2004, Crushpad successfully reduced the barriers to entry for wine-making enthusiasts and entrepreneurs by providing a one-stop shop for producing and selling wine. We believe there continues to be strong demand for custom wine production, a fact that was confirmed by the overwhelming support of Crushpad's clientele."

With the acquisition of Crushpad's assets and the launch of The Wine Foundry, Castlegate Capital was able to secure the wines of the original customers and avoid the likely mass liquidation that would have occurred under a court trustee or assignee. While the original customers will incur additional one-time processing costs, they will not lose the wines they ordered, which are in barrel or bottle.

"The majority of private barrel clients are having us finish their orders, which gives us the opportunity to prove ourselves and regain their confidence," said Aaron Hayos, a Director at Castlegate and a part owner of The Wine Foundry. "We have also been fortunate to retain the majority of our commercial clients."

The Wine Foundry has released a new catalogue with a more focused collection of vineyards from some of California's finest regions including Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Santa Barbara. The company is also offering a great selection of wines that are currently in barrel.

According to Steve Ryan, Vice President of Sales & Operations, "We are rebuilding client relations and are committed to accommodating client requests whenever possible. The most valuable currency we have at the moment is responsiveness and accurate information. We are offering existing clients preferred pricing and a first shot at buying any excess bottles or barrels we have in our inventory."

Clients will still have full access to a top winemaking team headed by Patrick Saboe to help determine fermentation techniques, amount of new oak, type of oak, varietal blend and bottling dates. They will also continue to enjoy the label and packaging design services and compliance support that were available in the past. Future plans call for the expansion and redesign of an e-commerce platform to help facilitate sales for commercial clients.

Said Philip Von Burg, "There are currently a number of investment opportunities in the wine industry. Each month we see vineyards, wineries, importers and distributors being offered for sale. This was a tremendously exciting opportunity that we couldn't resist. All of us look forward to working with our existing clientele and bringing new clients into our winemaking community, whether they are interested in building a commercial brand or making wine with a group of friends."

About Wine Foundry
Launched in 2012, the Wine Foundry provides amateur and professional winemakers the resources and know-how to produce luxury-class wines for personal and commercial use. The company is owned by Castlegate Capital Advisors, LLC, an operations-focused private equity investor that specializes in business turnarounds. Located in the town of Sonoma, The Wine Foundry offers their clients fruit sourcing from more than a dozen world-class vineyards, winemaking support (sorting, de-stemming, crushing, pressing, aging, blending), label design, storage, shipping fulfillment, logistics, wine club and allocations, licensing, permits, direct sales, compliance and reporting. For more information go to www.thewinefoundry.com. or email [email protected].

Steve Ryan
VP, Sales & Operations
707.637.8821 ext. 7400
[email protected]

SOURCE The Wine Foundry