Etats-Unis : Un groupe d’investisseurs argentins (Ren Acquisition) rachète Renwood Winery (Zinfandel)

Ren Acquisition, Inc., a privately owned company chaired by Alejandro Pedro Bulgheroni, has completed the purchase of Renwood Winery, a well-known Amador County Zinfandel producer.

Ren Acquisition and its board of directors share a commitment to preserving a region’s flagship varietals, while at the same time, using innovation and expanded resources, to elevate winemaking to the highest quality level possible.

Ren Acquisition’s board of directors includes Argentinean wine industry veteran,

Carlos Pulenta, who will act as primary wine consultant. Since starting his own winery in 2004, Carlos Pulenta quickly proved his dedication to solidifying Argentina’s position within the premium wine market. Most notably, and in partnership with Alejandro Bulgheroni, his Vistalba and Tomero wines, featuring Bordeaux style blends as well as single varietal bottlings, have received much international acclaim.

Established in 1993, Renwood Winery quickly gained a reputation as a premier producer in California’s Gold Valley. With vineyards containing some of the oldest Zinfandel vines in California, the winery expanded its production to also include Barbera and Syrah offerings and produces nearly 100,000 cases annually. Dave Crippen will remain in his role as head winemaker, with Carlos Pulenta and his team advising on vinification.

Bulgheroni is confident that the group’s past experience in the South American wine industry will bode well for their first expansion effort into the US. « It is an exciting, new opportunity for our team to work with the terroir of Renwood, » says Alejandro Bulgheroni. « We believe that the addition of Zinfandel from Amador County to our portfolio of wines will be the first step in our international commitment to pioneer winemaking. »

source : http://www.winebusiness.com/content/file/Renwood-PR.pdf

An Argentinean investment group is buying the long-troubled Renwood Winery in California’s Sierra Foothills. Ren Acquisition, Inc., whose ownership includes billionaire Alejandro Pedro Bulgheroni and Argentinean wine veteran Carlos Pulenta, agreed Aug. 3 to purchase the 65,000-square-foot Plymouth, Calif., winery and tasting room, the Renwood brand and existing inventory. The price was $6.95 million.

The winery’s two parent companies, Renwood Vineyard Properties and Renwood Group, filed for Chapter 11 protection in fall 2009, and a complicated series of legal maneuvers followed. Renwood remained in business, although last fall the court-appointed receiver Winston Mar stepped in to reinstate the winery staff after Renwood founder Robert Smerling terminated them. According to Mar, most of the winery’s bills have been settled. “All the growers were paid to make sure the business could continue,” he said.

Renwood was established in 1993 and eventually became one of the largest producers in the Sierra Foothills. It specializes in Zinfandel, Syrah and Barbera.

Pulenta, who is already a partner with Alejandro Bulgheroni at Bodega Vistalba, will be the primary wine consultant for Renwood. Bulgheroni said in a statement, “It is an exciting new opportunity for our team to work with the terroir of Renwood. We believe that the addition of Zinfandel from Amador County to our portfolio of wines will be the first step in our international commitment to pioneer winemaking.”

source : http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/45526