US: Pacific Wine Partners acquires winery
Pacific Wine Partners, BRL's Hardy's US joint venture with Constallation Brands, is gearing up for further expansion in the US with the purchase of a North Coast wine-making facility formerly belonging to the St Francis Winery. Pacific Wine Partners is to use the Sonoma winery for the production of the fast-growing Blackstone brand, which it acquired last year for £290m. "This high-exposure facility will be used predominantly to meet the rapidly increasing demand for wines under the Blackstone brand," said Pacific Wine Partners president and CEO, Jose Fernandez.