Background: The nation's oldest continuously operated winery is located in Orange County NY. This winery was
owned by a group of local businessmen who had difficulty operating the winery at a profit after a fire destroyed their catering hall. Since
all of its vineyards had been sold, and without a consistent source of grapes, the wine produced was uneven. However, given the winery's
access to New York City, it had the potential to attract a large number of visitors each year.
Solution: In order to improve, it was determined that the best solution would be to sell the winery to a
third party that would have a consistent access to quality grapes, would want to capitalize on its brand recognition and could invest
sufficient funds to allow the winery to capitalize on its proximity to NYC and the annual tourist traffic.
Result: A buyer from Chile was identified who was a large producer of quality grapes and who would benefit by
being able to export grapes to the US for processing. The winery was able to incorporate a portion of the grapes into its wines and improve
their overall quality while retaining the New York State label. The new owners were also able to distribute their wines produced in Chile
through the winery and capitalize upon its established network.
