Avennia has acquired Gramercy Cellars in a deal that brings together two wineries in the US state of Washington.
The transaction, struck for an undisclosed sum, includes Gramercy Cellars’ vineyard holdings – Forgotten Hills Vineyard and the company’s interest in Octave Vineyard.
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
Avennia, based in Woodinville, was set up by winemaker Chris Peterson and MD Marty Taucher and produces “Old World–inspired wines” from sites including Red Willow, Boushey and Bacchus, and Dionysus.
Gramercy Cellars was established by master sommelier Greg Harrington in 2005 in Walla Walla. The company focuses on wines including limited-production Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon.
“Like most serious Washington producers, Avennia sells mostly direct, through its club and tasting rooms. Gramercy is the mirror image,” an Avennia spokesperson said. “Together, we have both a solid real restaurant presence as well as a national DTC presence.”
Direct-to-consumer sales make up around 70% of Gramercy Cellars’ revenue, anchored by a wine club.
“The club is the heart of Gramercy. Nothing about the membership changes: the wines, vineyards, two annual releases, and the tasting room remain the same,” the Avennia spokesperson said. We’re hiring a dedicated hospitality director for Gramercy, backed by Avennia’s DTC team. Growth comes from doing the basics well and introducing two very compatible groups of wine lovers to each other: Avennia’s members will like Gramercy, and vice versa.”
Asked to set out how the company saw the outlook for the market for wines from Washington in the US more widely, the Avennia spokesperson said the local wine industry “is going through a reset”.
The spokesperson added: “The 2025 harvest was about 108,000 tons, down 28% and the smallest in at least fifteen years. Thankfully, Ste. Michelle [winery] is back in Washington hands with the Wyckoff family. This is vital for a small emerging region – to have a large, quality winery driver that opens markets and creates a broad presence, allowing smaller producers to follow. This is the path to success for most well-known wine regions.
“Nationally, Washington doesn’t have a quality problem; it has an awareness problem. Napa Cabernet grapes sold for close to $9,000 a ton last year. Washington Cabernet sold for about $3,000. That gap shows up in the glass as value. However, we don’t want to lead with a value proposition marketing campaign. We want to impress with quality in the glass, then happily surprise when people see the cost.”
