Wilson Winery owner drops appeal in county crackdown on events

Sonoma County vintner Ken Wilson has agreed to halt a slate of wine events he planned to host this summer at his flagship Wilson Winery in Dry Creek Valley following a crackdown by county planning officials.

The decision comes in the wake of an investigation by county code enforcement officers who found that since at least May 6, Wilson Winery has been violating the county’s rules by holding unauthorized events and allowing visitors to park alongside the winery on Dry Creek Road.

The county investigation was prompted by neighborhood complaints about noise and traffic in the area.

Wilson initially said he didn’t agree with the county’s finding, asserting that his operating permit did not limit his ability to hold events.

He appealed the county code enforcement action earlier this month, but dropped his appeal Friday, according to John Mackie, his lawyer.

Under a settlement agreement reached late Thursday, Wilson has agreed to pause all special gatherings at Wilson Winery, such as weddings and wine pairing events. He is allowed to participate in industrywide events such as the popular barrel tasting weekend. He also is allowed to hold wine release parties in Wilson Winery’s tasting room between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., with up to 25 people.

The matter was settled at a public hearing Friday morning, when an independent hearing officer signed off on the agreement.

Wilson, who is on vacation in Canada, did not appear at the public hearing, and no one in the audience spoke. The formal hearing was required to settle the code enforcement action.

By Friday morning, Wilson Winery’s events page on its website had been taken down.

Mackie said Wilson agreed to the terms, but he is awaiting a clear policy regarding winery events. The Board of Supervisors is expected to take up the issue in March.

“Things are unclear right now,” Mackie said. “So we’ll assess what we’re going to do after that.”

The settlement also requires Wilson to produce a full traffic study within 60 days, and to create a county-approved no-parking zone in the vicinity of the winery.

“These traffic issues are not new to this winery,” said Ben Neuman, the building and safety manager for the Permit and Resource Management Department. “It was very controversial when it was first approved in 1995.”

Wilson must also pay the total cost of Friday’s hearing, which amounted to about $1,700.

You can reach Staff Writer Angela Hart at 526-8503 or angela.hart@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter ?@ahartreports.