Wild Horse Winery

Wild Horse Winery has been corralled. The Central Coast maker of $15 to $20 vintages has been acquired by conglomerate Fortune Brands Inc., which owns the Geyser Peak and Canyon Road labels, the companies said Monday. They didn't reveal the terms of the deal, which closed Friday, though a source said the sale price was $35 million. Wild Horse is the most recent mid-size independent California winery to sell to a corporate giant. Last fall, E.&J. Gallo Winery, the second-largest U.S.

Wild Horse Winery has been corralled. The Central Coast maker of $15 to $20 vintages has been acquired by conglomerate Fortune Brands Inc., which owns the Geyser Peak and Canyon Road labels, the companies said Monday. They didn't reveal the terms of the deal, which closed Friday, though a source said the sale price was $35 million. Wild Horse is the most recent mid-size independent California winery to sell to a corporate giant. Last fall, E.&J. Gallo Winery, the second-largest U.S.

Ken Volk, Wild Horse Winery "As a category I've been enjoying Australian Verdelho. I like one, a 1997 Mount View Estate Verdelho. It has an aromatic intensity I'd associate with a Viognier in that it's somewhat exotic. It's what I'd call a full-bodied white. And it's very good. It has enough character to stand up to well-seasoned food. I have relatives in Australia who sent it."

Ken Volk, Wild Horse Winery "As a category I've been enjoying Australian Verdelho. I like one, a 1997 Mount View Estate Verdelho. It has an aromatic intensity I'd associate with a Viognier in that it's somewhat exotic. It's what I'd call a full-bodied white. And it's very good. It has enough character to stand up to well-seasoned food. I have relatives in Australia who sent it."

Wild Horse Valley, which straddles Napa and Solano counties, has been approved as a viticultural appellation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF), the branch of the U.S. Treasury Department that certifies new growing regions that may be identified on wine labels. But the appellation wasn't approved without the dissent of Ken Volk III, the owner of Wild Horse Winery in San Luis Obispo County.

Kenneth Q. Volk Jr., 77, who co-founded and operated Public Storage and two other California-based businesses. A life-long resident of Los Angeles, Volk studied economics at Stanford University and served as a Navy officer during World War II. His first company was Volk-McLain Communities, a home builder that developed planned residential communities throughout the state. In 1972, he joined B.

British drinks company Allied Domecq has agreed in principle to a $14.2-billion takeover offer from French and U.S. rivals Pernod Ricard and Fortune Brands Inc., a person familiar with the deal said Wednesday. Allied Domecq's board has accepted the broad outline of the offer, but some details remain to be settled before the agreement can be finalized and announced, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity. That could happen as soon as today, the person said.

France's Pernod Ricard and U.S. conglomerate Fortune Brands Inc. said Tuesday that they were in joint talks to buy larger rival Allied Domecq in a deal that would reshape the global liquor business and create two stronger rivals to industry leader Diageo. The discussions, if fruitful, would initially bring together brands from Chivas Regal scotch to Beefeater gin in a deal that some analysts said could reach $13.5 billion. Pernod and Fortune would ultimately divvy up Allied's biggest brands.

Chuck Greenberg, co-founder, leader and record producer of the eclectic band Shadowfax, has died at the age of 45. Greenberg died Monday, apparently of a heart attack, while vacationing with his family on Santa Cruz Island off Ventura County, Sonic Images Records announced Thursday night. The sextet, which Greenberg originally organized with G.E.

Wild Horse Valley, which straddles Napa and Solano counties, has been approved as a viticultural appellation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF), the branch of the U.S. Treasury Department that certifies new growing regions that may be identified on wine labels. But the appellation wasn't approved without the dissent of Ken Volk III, the owner of Wild Horse Winery in San Luis Obispo County.

The resemblance is only fleeting: The tasting rooms here are spread further apart, they're harder to find and most charge for sampling wine. But San Luis Obispo County's budding wine community still has the feel of the Napa Valley circa 1972. The folks who pour the wines are just as enthusiastic as were the pourers of two decades ago, before Napa gained international fame--and crowds.

"What do we have to do?," pleads a frustrated Gary Eberle, a 6-foot-3, 280-pound former tackle at Penn State. The problem is Cabernet Sauvignon--that of his own Eberle Winery and of his neighbor's vineyards in the Central Coast area around Paso Robles. Despite their quality--every year they bring home medals from competitions--they have so far failed to capture the attention of most wine lovers. And Eberle wonders whether they ever will.