Precept Wine & Spirits expands into California with acquisition of Miller Family Wine

Seattle-based Precept Wine & Spirits acquired Santa Barbara-based Miller Family Wine Co. on Friday.

Precept is taking control of nine Miller Family brands, associated trademarks, private-label businesses, bulk wine, and inventory. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, according to The Puget Sound Business Journal.

Acquisition adds nine nationally distributed brands to Precept’s portfolio

Precept has a large share of Washington’s wine industry, currently offering 37 brands, including Browne Family Vineyards, Waterbrook Winery, and Canoe Ridge Winery.

“We have primarily been a Pacific Northwest-driven company, but we haven’t been deeply invested in California outside of our private-label programs,” Alex Evans, Precept’s chief marketing officer, told The Puget Sound Business Journal. “So this is a huge opportunity for us to extend into very popular California categories.”

Evans noted that Browne Family Vineyards, the company’s flagship, is one of its fastest-growing brands and currently operates tasting rooms in Pioneer Square, Bellevue, and Tacoma.

Precept has historically operated mostly through private labels but has grown its branded portfolio through acquisitions, including the House Wine brand from Charles Smith Winery in the early 2000s and New Mexico-based Gruet Winery in 2014, its first expansion beyond the Pacific Northwest.

House Wine has since become one of the company’s most recognizable labels, with its ready-to-drink products driving particularly strong growth, Evans said.

Miller’s nationally distributed brands give Precept a stronger CA footprint

Precept opened up new opportunities to expand its digital and direct-to-consumer business for its vineyard-designated and premium wine brands with its acquisition of Miller. Evans also confirmed that the company has no immediate plans to open more tasting rooms.

Precept’s wine portfolio is adding nationally distributed brands such as Butternut, Ballard Lane, Smashberry, Optik, and J. Wilkes, according to The Puget Sound Business Journal.

Miller retained ownership of a few of the family’s long-standing vineyards, including Bien Nacido, Solomon Hills, and French Camp in California. The Miller family will also continue to produce Bien Nacido Estate wines as part of the agreement.

“The wine business is a very personal business — it’s agriculture, it’s built by people and families,” Evans told The Puget Sound Business Journal. “And with this acquisition, we’re just wildly honored that the Miller Family would entrust us to carry on their legacy.”

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