Dry Creek Valley's Quivira Vineyards Sold

Pioneering Dry Creek winery sold to Atlanta-based Pete Knight.

Published on Jul 21, 2006

By Steve Heimoff

Quivira Vineyards, a pioneering Dry Creek Valley winery since its founding in 1981, has been sold by the Wendt family to an Atlanta-based Internet commerce businessman, Pete Kight, for an undisclosed amount.

Under chief winemaker Grady Wann, the winery has excelled for many years at Sauvignon Blanc and Zinfandel, which are generally considered the best wines in Dry Creek Valley. Quivira's new sales manager, Matthew Simpson, says Wann's last day at Quivira was July 14. The new winemaker is Steven Canter, who has made wine in South Africa, Burgundy, Oregon and Tuscany, and owns his own brand, Luddite Vineyards, which crafts wines from Sonoma County.

Kight had been looking to buy a winery in Dry Creek Valley for a long time, Simpson said, adding, "The only change you will see is a more regimented biodynamic practice." Other than that, plans are for the 18,000-case winery to remain constant in case production and varietal lineup.

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