Press Release: Zepponi & Company (www.zepponi.com), the global wine industry mergers and acquisitions advisory firm for ultra-premium, luxury and estate wine brands and vineyards, today announced the sale of Weibel Family Vineyards & Winery’s Hopland winery facility and estate vineyards to Vintage Wine Estates. The transaction included a large scale winemaking facility, state-of-the-art fermentation building, residential guest house and ultra-premium vineyards. Zepponi & Company was the principal negotiator of the purchase and sale agreement, and worked closely with the Weibel family throughout the entire transaction process. Financial terms were not disclosed.

“Weibel realized a unique selling opportunity when the custom-crush facility became a desirable commodity, due to the increased demand for grape and bulk wine processing. The facility provides full grape and wine processing services to third party growers,” said Joe Ciatti of Zepponi & Company. “The sale of this property required us to use our extensive knowledge of the current wine market in order to successfully evaluate the property and advise on the final sale to Vintage Wine Estates.”

“Our property’s size, facilities and location presented a distinct opportunity for a knowledgeable buyer. Zepponi & Company was a perfect fit to oversee the sale,” said Fred Weibel. “Their extensive knowledge of the market, previous work with similar properties and relationships in the industry helped drive our sale to Vintage Wine Estates.”

The Hopland winery and vineyards are located within the McDowell Valley AVA, a picturesque area on the southeastern side of the Mendocino County AVA. At approximately 40,000 square feet, the winery is one of the larger wine production facilities in Mendocino County. It is fully equipped with modern winemaking equipment designed to handle annual production of 4,000 – 5,000 tons per year.

Zepponi & Company is the largest mergers and acquisitions advisory firm dedicated exclusively to the global wine industry. Headquartered in Santa Rosa, California, the firm’s three principals, Mario Zepponi, Matt Franklin and Joe Ciatti, are established wine industry veterans, with expertise in strategic transaction analysis, valuations and creativity in structuring complex transactions. Zepponi & Company has served as advisor on numerous transactions involving ultra-premium and luxury wine brands, estate wineries and vineyards, including Chalk Hill Estate, Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines, Kendall Jackson Wine Estates, Four Vines, Black Stallion and Kuleto Estate. For more information, please visit www.zepponi.com.