Alderbrook Winery sold by Terlato Wine Group

Alderbrook Winery, the Healdsburg winery that has already gone through four owners in its 33-year history, has been sold again.

Terlato Wine Group has sold the winery facility and its surrounding vineyards, but will keep the Alderbrook brand and inventory.

The sale will enable Illinois-based Terlato to buy a larger winery and shift its vineyard holdings to pinot noir and chardonnay, said Terlato CEO Bill Terlato.

Marin County wine and beer executive Bernie Orsi acquired the production facility, which has the capacity to produce about 50,000 cases of wine, and 60 acres of zinfandel vineyards, Terlato said.

"We're negotiating to purchase another winery that we think is a better strategic fit for us," he said. "Both the size of the winery and the grape varietals on the vine are more in line with what we want to pursue in the future."

Terlato would not identify the new winery or reveal its location, but said that deal would likely close in the next few weeks.

"We're right in the middle of negotiations right now," Terlato said.

The Alderbrook transaction closed at the end of last week, Terlato said. Financial details were not disclosed.

Bernie Orsi did not respond to requests for comment. In public records, Orsi is listed as CEO of S-P Company, a Mill Valley company that once owned Pabst Brewing Co. and other beer brands.

Orsi is co-founder and proprietor of Orsi Papale Estate Wines in St. Helena, which makes estate wines from Orsi's vineyards in the Russian River, Dry Creek and Napa County appellations, according to the winery's website. Aside from the Alderbrook land, Orsi and his family own more than 180 planted acres of vineyards spanning 360 acres in Sonoma County, according to records from the Assessor's Office.

Terlato Wine Group will retain Alderbrook's winemaker, but the future of the other employees is unclear. Other than the winemaker, Bill Terlato did not know the status of the employees, he said.

Terlato Wine Group owns six wineries in Napa, Santa Barbara, France and Australia, Terlato said. International Wine Associates of Healdsburg represented Terlato in the transaction.

Alderbrook was founded in 1981 and went through a succession of owners over the next three decades. Terlato, which distributed Alderbrook wines, took a majority stake in the winery in 2001 and upgraded the facility.