NEWS: Constellation Brands buys The Prisoner

[Jenise]

From the Shanken news:

Constellation Brands, one of the world’s largest wine companies, is investing big in California red blends, buying the brands of The Prisoner Wine Company from Huneeus Vintners. The portfolio includes five brands: superstar blend The Prisoner, as well as Saldo, Cuttings, Blindfold and Thorn. The transaction, expected to close this month, includes just the brands, and comes less than a year after Constellation bet $315 million on the purchase of the Meiomi Pinor Noir brand.

The Prisoner is a modern-day wine success story, launched by Orin Swift founder Dave Phinney in 2000. Phinney crafted a contemporary version of a California field blend, and the wine has appeared on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 list multiple times.

So six years ago Huneeus bought Orin Swift for just undder $50 million, and today it's worth six times that? Are they kidding?

I bought the DVD set for much less: http://www.amazon.com/The-Prisoner-Comp ... B002C68WOG

"Be seeing you!"

They paid 315 million for the Meiomi brand, but 'only' paid 285 million for The Prisoner brand. It was a bargain!

The last owner bought it for 40 million in 2010, so they got a heck of a paycheck for six years work!

We sell a great deal of Prisoner, I myself don't have it on my list to drink. But one shouldn't look a gift horse in the eye. Or something like that. Quien sabe?

I bought the DVD set for much less: http://www.amazon.com/The-Prisoner-Comp ... B002C68WOG

"Be seeing you!"

I love the first episode....

Very in advance of its time with cordless phones, constant surveillance, computerised tourist information boards

We frequently stay in Portmerion village (the 'Village' in the series). The 'Old Peoples Home' is a hotel, as is The Castle (hospital), and you can also stay in various properties throught the village. We often book the rooms on the corner overlooking the statue of Atlas in a fountain.

There are now real surveillence cameras fixed to trees throughout the village ....

"Be seeing you!"

On the wine front, I read about the wine on this forum and bought a bottle next time I was in the USA. Pleasant but the earth didn't move. I prefer Ridge

[Jenise]

I bought the DVD set for much less: http://www.amazon.com/The-Prisoner-Comp ... B002C68WOG

"Be seeing you!"

I love the first episode....

Very in advance of its time with cordless phones, constant surveillance, computerised tourist information boards

We frequently stay in Portmerion village (the 'Village' in the series). The 'Old Peoples Home' is a hotel, as is The Castle (hospital), and you can also stay in various properties throught the village. We often book the rooms on the corner overlooking the statue of Atlas in a fountain.

There are now real surveillence cameras fixed to trees throughout the village ....

"Be seeing you!"

On the wine front, I read about the wine on this forum and bought a bottle next time I was in the USA. Pleasant but the earth didn't move. I prefer Ridge

I had no idea there was a real Village. Hmmm...where I live officially has Village in it's name too. Wonder if I should be looking for cameras....

As for Ridge vs. Orin Swift wines...not in the same league at all IMO. The latter are fat, jammy, high octane crowd pleasers, and of course Ridge wines are not. They appeal to two different sets of customer.

I had no idea there was a real Village. .

See http://www.portmeirion-village.com

It's a real delight, huge wooded gardens by the estuary you can lose yourself in with a Japanese pagoda and bridge over a pond, and buildings pained in mediterranean colours, rescued buildings, sculptures and statues with vistas at every turn, and lots of tricks with perspectives, so the Italiannite tower appears taller than it is, and trompe l'oeil windows are painted on walls etc (Can't remeber if its clear in the TV series, butthe moored 'boat' in front of the 'old peoples home' is made of concrete.

Theres also an annual 'Prisoner' Convention in the Village, this year will be the 35th and is weekend of 15-17 April 2016 see http://www.portmeiricon.com/

Sounds like fun, Peter! I have never been there but someday....

Rumor is that the buildings are a little smaller in person than they appeared in the series.

Well, yes. all interiors were shot in a studio. So No. 6's cottage is nowhere as big inside as shown on the TV. The cottage is a shop, until a year or so ago it was the No.6 Shop packed with Prisoner souvenirs and memorabilia.

The rooms you can book in the village, were until recently, decorated with individual carpeting designed by Clough-Williams daugher and matching curtains and bedcovers. Maybe because they were getting worn, but the carpets have been removed to bare floors. Not so nice. WE've not stayedin teh main hotel (Old Peoples Home) by the water, but we've stayed in the Castell hotel which has large modern rooms with what, at the time, was the largest flat screen TV I'd seen.

What is nice is the complimentary carafe of sherry, replenished each day. Ideal after a days sightseeing and trekking through the woods, keeping an eye out for large white balloons.

Nice rugs are expensive. I had the rugs in my house made the old-fashioned way: old patterns woven in wool on narrow looms in England, the strips shipped here, then sewn together onsite. Wasn't cheap or easy.

I think they went through quite a lot of weather balloons for Rover. They're a cool image but they do pop.

[Robin Garr]

Nice rugs are expensive. I had the rugs in my house made the old-fashioned way: old patterns woven in wool on narrow looms in England, the strips shipped here, then sewn together onsite. Wasn't cheap or easy.

My bride has furnished our house with Persian carpets over the years. Real ones. Antiques. One at a time, when we could afford one. It was easy, but it wasn't cheap.

Nice rugs are expensive. I had the rugs in my house made the old-fashioned way: old patterns woven in wool on narrow looms in England, the strips shipped here, then sewn together onsite. Wasn't cheap or easy.

My bride has furnished our house with Persian carpets over the years. Real ones. Antiques. One at a time, when we could afford one. It was easy, but it wasn't cheap.

Might have been easier if she'd married an old Persian.

[Jenise]

Might have been easier if she'd married an old Persian.

LOL!

[Robin Garr]

Might have been easier if she'd married an old Persian.

I'm just as glad it didn't work out that way.

Might have been easier if she'd married an old Persian.

I'm just as glad it didn't work out that way.

Well done. You may live another day.

Interesting piece by Richard Siddle provoked by the sale of The Prisoner

Well the penny, or the cent, has dropped that wine drinkers are quite happy buying wine based on its grape variety regardless of where it is made. So suddenly having 1000s of hectares of land on your books rather than mass selling high volume consumer brands is looking less and less like a cunning plan.

http://brintex.liwf.co.uk/q/141TMhwyCiV6hRTImdPXd/wv