Foley Family Wines buys Oregon’s Acrobat wine brand

King Estate Winery in Oregon has sold its Acrobat wine brand to Foley Family Wines, in line with its of expanding its offerings from this “emerging and rapidly growing” region.

Acrobat vineyards in Oregon.

The two winemaking families described the transaction “one of the most important to date” for the growing Oregon wine industry.

“It is with great pride that I transition the Acrobat brand to Foley Family Wines, a well‑respected family‑owned wine company that has been one of the greatest success stories in the industry,” remarked Ed King, CEO of King Estate. 

“Reflection on the part of the King family led to the realization that we want to reaffirm our foundation family brand, and that King Estate needs to be the centerpiece of our future. We have been on our land in Oregon for almost 30 years. Our recent entry into the Willamette Valley AVA and certification as North America’s largest Biodynamic vineyard bring our focus back to King Estate. Acrobat exceeded all expectations of success for us and really belongs in a growing family of brands like Foley Family Wines.”

Founded in 1991 by the King family, King Estate is one of Oregon’s largest wineries, and farms over 1,000 acres of vineyards that are certified Biodynamic by Demeter USA. Under King Estate’s guidance, the Acrobat brand, which is best known for its Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris, is expected to reach sales of 150,000 cases in 2018, making it one of Oregon’s largest-volume brands.

Currently, Acrobat wines are sourced from a number of Oregon vineyards spanning the Willamette Valley, Umpqua Valley and Rogue Valley AVAs. The sale to Foley does not include any vineyards or land, only the Acrobat brand and inventory, and the financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

This is the second investment made by the Foley family in Oregon, having purchased The Four Graces in Dundee in 2014, signalling its confidence in the region.

“As Foley Family Wines continues down the path of becoming one of the industry’s top Ultra-Premium wine purveyors, the addition of the Acrobat brand addresses the strategy of expanding our offerings from the emerging and rapidly growing region of Oregon,” added Hugh Reimers, president of Foley Family Wines. “Acrobat Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris will serve as a nice complement to The Four Graces, which has quickly become one of Oregon’s top selling Ultra-Premium Pinot Noir brands in the marketplace.”

Foley Family Wines was established by Bill Foley in 1996 with the acquisition of Lincourt Vineyards in California’s Santa Ynez Valley, and has grown to include dozes of wineries around the world including Altvs (Napa, CA), Chalk Hill (Sonoma County, CA), Three Rivers Winery (Walla Walla, WA), The Four Graces (Dundee, OR), Clifford Bay (Marlborough, New Zealand) and the Martinborough Vineyard in Martinborough, New Zealand.