Chris Peterson (left), Avennia and Greg Harrington, Gramercy CellarsOne of the most prominent wineries in Walla Walla changes hands

One of the most prominent wineries in Walla Walla changes hands

Avennia, a Woodinville, Washington-based winery, has acquired Gramercy Cellars in Walla Walla. The acquisition includes the brand as well as all inventory, equipment, and intellectual property. Gramercy Cellars founder Greg Harrington, MS, will stay on at the winery as founding winemaker.

“Gramercy is one of the wineries that has defined modern Walla Walla,” says Marty Taucher, managing director at Avennia. “It’s an exciting move for us, and this is a good move for Washington wine.”

With the transaction, Avennia also acquired Gramercy’s shares in Octave Vineyard and purchased Forgotten Hills Vineyard, both of which are in Walla Walla Valley. JB George Vineyard was not included. Terms of the sale were not disclosed. Metis, a leading mergers and acquisitions advisory firm, was the advisor for the transaction.

“I had been looking for an operation partner, and we had a number of people that were interested, but it wasn’t really until I started talking to Marty and Chris [Peterson], where I said ‘These are the guys that that I want to do this with,’” Harrington says.

Avennia will also purchase Gramercy Cellars’ downtown Walla Walla winery and tasting room, which was previously leased. The Gramercy wines will continue to be made and poured at this location. Gramercy will continue to operate as an independent brand. The two wineries will remain distinct in terms of their fruit sourcing and styles.

“Our acquisition of the Red Mountain vineyard a few years ago gave us a Red Mountain focus. Now this gives us a very strong, powerful Walla Walla focus,” Taucher says. “This also extends our reach dramatically in distribution, both nationally and internationally.”

Avennia partner and winemaker Chris Peterson will become director of winemaking, overseeing winemaking at Avennia, Gramercy, Lydian, and Liminal.

“Our team at Avennia has really blossomed, and they’re ready to grow and take on more responsibility,” Peterson says. “For Greg and his team, I’ll be more of a sounding board and be there to give any support I can lend.”

Gramercy did not crush fruit in 2025. The winery has resumed winemaking in 2026. However, some sites will not come back on-line until next year.

Gramercy Cellars was founded in 2005 by Harrington and his then-wife, Pam. (The couple later divorced.) Harrington became a master sommelier at age 26 and worked at top-flight restaurants in Manhattan and beyond, including those of Emeril Lagasse and Wolfgang Puck. Inspired by wines he was tasting from the state, Harrington left his high-flying sommelier career and moved to Washington to, in his words, “make wines that taste like dirt.” Food & Wine magazine named Gramercy ‘Best New Winery in America’ in 2010.

Over the last 20 years, Gramercy has had a profound impact on Washington wine, most notably Syrah. Gramercy advocated using stems and whole clusters during fermentation. The winery also championed using concrete and larger format vessels, standard in some areas of the world but rare in Washington at the time. Today they are commonplace. Gramercy Cellars emphasized making wines specifically to go with food. Over the last two decades, Harrington has also had a major impact advocating for Washington wine around the world as a master sommelier.

Harrington moved from Washington to Austin, Texas in 2023, commuting to Walla Walla. The prior year, Harrington purchased Gramercy Cellars in-full from his ex-wife. This purchase, combined with market changes, created a financial situation that was, in Harrington’s words, “unsustainable.” Gramercy continues, however, to have a strong business, particularly on-premise and with its wine club.

“Demand has always been fantastic and growing,” Harrington says. “[With the acquisition], there’s going to be a capital infusion, which the brand needs. I went only as far as I could go.”

Taucher and Peterson founded Avennia in 2010. From the start, the Avennia wines have been among the best in Washington. The two later added Liminal Wines, a small project dedicated to wines from WeatherEye Vineyard, and Lydian, a high-value second label. Now, with Gramercy Cellars, they have made a substantial investment in one of Walla Walla’s key wineries.

“We’re committed and excited, and we hope everybody’s as excited as we are to see Gramercy returning stronger than ever,” Taucher says.

Meanwhile, twenty-plus years after he started making wine in Washington, Harrington remains bullish on the state.

“I still think Washington is the best place in America to make Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon,” Harrington says. “I have huge respect for other areas, but I honestly wouldn’t want to make wine anywhere else.”

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