Washington’s largest winery is consolidating its production.
Chateau Ste. Michelle has decided to move its white wine production from Woodinville to its Eastern Washington facilities, where it already makes red wines, for the 2022 harvest, according to a company statement.
“Producing wine in Woodinville so far removed from our Eastern Washington vineyards has resulted in decades of shipping millions of gallons of white wine to our Woodinville facility and burning nearly 75,000 gallons of diesel through over 1,600 freight trips each year,” the statement said.
With the change, Ste. Michelle is considering selling portions or all of the Woodinville property, home to winemaking facilities and a tasting room.
“This process is still in the exploratory phase and could take years to implement, if at all,” the statement said.
Last summer, Ste. Michelle was purchased by private equity firm Sycamore Partners Management from tobacco giant Altria for $1.2 billion.
—by Ross Courtney
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