Korbel Champagne Cellars
Korbel Champagne Cellars is a winery based in Guerneville, California. Korbel primarily manufactures sparkling wine and sells the largest volume of premium traditional Méthode Champenoise sparkling wine in the United States. The company is a division of F. Korbel Brothers, Inc., which also makes brandy and still wines.
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[edit] History
Korbel was founded in 1882 by two Czechoslovakian brothers named Korbel. It was purchased by Adolph Heck in 1954.[1] Heck's son, Gary, took over in 1974, and over time increased production from 150,000 to 1.3 million cases per year, making Korbel the twelfth largest wine producer in the United States as of 2011.[1]
Korbel sparkling wines have been served at the six most recent United States presidential inaugurations.[1] Most recently it was one of the wines served on January 20, 2009, at the Congressional Inaugural Luncheon for US President Barack Obama.[2] Korbel California Champagne has also been a corporate sponsor of multiple Inaugurations over the past twenty years.[3]
[edit] Products
Korbel uses the term "Champagne" on most of its labels. Whereas most other US producers identify their sparkling wine as such, and indicate the location where their grapes are produced, Korbel relies on a "semi-generic" provision under U.S. law.[4]. Korbel uses the term "California Champagne" and "Russian River Valley Champagne" on many of its labels.[3]
Korbel produces brandy and still wines. Korbel-marketed wines include Kenwood, Valley of the Moon, Lake Sonoma Winery, and Pininfarina. F. Korbel & Bros. is a private company that is owned and operated by the Heck family. Brown-Forman distributes Korbel California Champagne widely in the United States. [5]
The winery offers tours highlighting the history of the establishment, a tasting room and a gift shop where Korbel products are available for purchase. Both the tasting rooms and gift shop close at 5 PM.
Korbel's brandy has a particularly strong following in the State of Wisconsin, where approximately 28% of Korbel's brandy production is consumed. [6]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Kevin Fagan (2009-08-30). "Family squabble tarnishes Korbel wine empire". San Francisco Chronicle. http://articles.sfgate.com/2009-08-30/news/17177762_1_gary-heck-korbel-champagne-cellars-wine-country.
- ^ Hulse, Carl (20 January 2009). "The Nation Awaits Its 44th President". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/21/us/politics/20web-inaug2.html. Retrieved 2009-01-20.
- ^ a b "F. Korbel Brothers corporate web site"
- ^ "USC 27cfr4.25 section 2"
- ^ "Brown-Forman Annual Report 2008"
- ^ "The Wisconsin Almanac"
[edit] External links
Coordinates: 38°30′28″N 122°58′1″W / 38.50778°N 122.96694°W
