Viticultural briefs: New CEO appointed at Crimson Wine Group

New CEO chosen at Crimson Wine Group

Jennifer Locke has been appointed chief executive officer at Napa-based Crimson Wine Group. She starts on Dec. 2.

The company owns Seghesio Family Vineyards in Healdsburg and Pine Ridge Vineyards in the Stags Leap region of Napa Valley.

Locke had most recently been senior vice president of Treasury Wine Estates, serving at the Australian company’s Napa office where she oversaw 180 employees. She led growth in the company’s direct-to-consumer business and won Treasury’s global Mary Penfolds Award for performance.

“Jennifer’s management expertise, deep knowledge of the wine business and proven sales and marketing acumen will be a tremendous asset for Crimson Wine Group in the next phase of the company’s growth and development,” said John D. Cumming, chairman of Crimson.

Locke replaces Patrick DeLong, who left Crimson earlier this year after serving as CEO since 2014. Nicolas M.E. Quillé, Crimson’s chief winemaking and operations officer, had served as interim CEO.

Vintner helps raise $500K for fire relief

The family of vintner Bill Foley, his businesses and a corporate partner will donate more than $500,000 in aid to help survivors of the Kincade fire.

Foley, who owns Foley Family Wines of Santa Rosa and the Las Vegas Golden Knights NHL hockey team, enlisted City National Bank in the effort as well. The Los Angeles-based bank has the naming rights for the hockey team’s practice facility.

The effort will provide $175,000 to Corazon Healdsburg, $120,000 to the Sonoma County Resilience Fund and $225,000 to Geyserville Volunteer Fire Fighters Association.

In addition, 8,000 pounds of food is being donated by City National Bank and Foley Family Wines to the Redwood Empire Food Bank. The food will feed more than 300 families suffering from the effects of the Kincade fire. It will be distributed on Nov. 14 at the local assistance center in Healdsburg.

The company’s Chalk Hill Estate Vineyards & Winery and Roth Vineyards suffered damage to outbuildings and equipment in the Kincade fire, but there was no serious damage to any of its main properties.

Cakebread opens Napa Valley tasting room

Cakebread Cellars has opened its new tasting room and visitor center on Highway 29 in the Napa Valley between Oakville and Rutherford.

The center is located on the original 22 acres where founders Jack and Dolores Cakebread started in 1972.

There are nine individual and unique private tasting rooms that provide different experiences, such as one modeled after the winemaking lab where winemaker Stephanie Jacobs works. The facility also has a hall lined with 12 new custom-made concrete egg fermentation tanks and a retail lounge where visitors can explore within a glass-enclosed wine library.

Visits are by appointment only. A basic tasting of current releases is $25 per person and a premium tasting is $65, or $40 for wine club members.

Compiled by Bill Swindell. Submit items to bill.swindell@pressdemocrat.com.