One of the topics we”ll cover as part of our “Celebrating 40 Years of Long Island Wine” series is winery succession. The next generation of winery owners will help shape what Long Island looks like for the next 40 years — and that future is unclear for some of the region’s wineries — but it’s a bit more clear for one winery today.
Wolffer Estate Vineyard announced today that two of founder Christian Wolffer’s children, Joey Wolffer and Marc Wolffer, have assumed joint ownership of the Sagaponack winery. From the press release:
A leader in Long Island wine country, Wölffer Estate Vineyard has been purchased from the estate by two of the children of founder Christian Wölffer. As of January 2013, sister and brother team Joey Wölffer and Marc Wölffer have assumed joint ownership of the majestic 71- acre winery and vineyards located in Sagaponack (The Hamptons), New York. In buying their siblings’ interest, the new owners have completed the transfer of ownership of the estate within the Wölffer family and ensured a continued family legacy following the passing of Christian Wölffer, the visionary entrepreneur and vintner who helped establish Long Island winemaking 25 years ago.
“Our father’s most enduring legacy was Wölffer Estate Vineyard and Winery, a passion which we are committed to growing in his honor,” stated Joey Wölffer. “This year marks our 25th Anniversary, an amazing milestone when you consider that our family vineyards were planted over humble potato fields.
It took my father years of hard work, creativity and vision to build a winery here, and we look forward to working with our team to continue to realize his dream of making world-class wines.”
“Wölffer Estate is one of the most visited destinations in Long Island Wine Country,” stated Marc Wölffer. “We welcome thousands of visitors to our tasting room year-round to share in the beauty of our vineyard and winery, and to discover locally-hand crafted wines. Now more than ever we look forward to introducing more people to what my father built and to share our high quality wines as we continue our family heritage in the wine industry.”