Chateau Ste. Michelle by Richard Duval

Below are additional quotes from Northwest Wine Report’s interview with Court Wyckoff, whose family purchased Ste. Michelle Wine Estates (SMWE) earlier this month, and David Bowman, co-CEO of SMWE. In each case, I have listed the person talking and the topic that they were discussing.

Wyckoff and Bowman discuss the purchase of the winery, SMWE now being family-owned, recent generational changes in wine consumers, the Wyckoffs entering the retail wine sales business, how Washington and Ste. Michelle are positioned at present, and what comes next for the company.

Wyckoff, on the purchase of the winery and Woodinville property:

We’ve been very, very closely partnered with Ste. Michelle for the last 40 years. We planted our first wine grapes in 1978 and started making wine in partnership with Ste. Michelle in the early 1980s. Growing up, I had the opportunity to be involved with Ste. Michelle from a very early age….I have fond memories of visiting the Chateau frequently throughout my life, visiting with [former CEOs] Allen Shoup and Ted Baseler with my dad. So [the Woodinville property] was something that had to come with a transaction, to be frank.

Bowman, on SMWE now being family-owned:

You can’t overstate the importance to the company…It really enables us to start to make decisions much more for long-term. So much about what we do, no matter how we boil it down, starts with grapes, and grapes don’t report very well to publicly traded companies every quarter. The decisions you make about land and dirt don’t translate instantly.

I think there’s a lot of great opportunity for us to continue to invest in the brands, and especially Chateau Ste. Michelle, which we’ve started to do. We’re looking forward to a lot of exciting stuff in ‘26 and beyond. I think [the purchase by the Wyckoffs] is a huge enabler. I also think this is a moment for celebration if you’re a wine industry employee.

Bowman,  on generational changes in wine consumers:

I’m really encouraged by the trends we’re starting to see. Millennials

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