Trinchero Family Estates Forms Alliance with Taken Wine Co.

Trinchero Family Estates announced today that it has added the Taken Wine Company brands to its growing portfolio.   The current releases include the halo brand 2010 Taken Red Wine, the 2011 Complicated Red Wine, and the 2012 Complicated Red Wine.

Carlo Trinchero and Josh Phelps both grew up in the business. Carlo Trinchero is a third generation member of the Trinchero Family, Napa Valley vintners since 1948 who changed the way Americans drink wine when they created Sutter Home White Zinfandel in the early 1970s. Josh Phelps also has roots in the business, the son of well-regarded wine maker Chris Phelps, who spent his career in the wine industry creating award-winning wines in Napa and Bordeaux.

Childhood comrades, Trinchero and Phelps created Taken Wine Company with the philosophy “to craft great wines to share with our friends.”  The name was originally chosen when they were having difficulty finding a moniker for their wines that wasn’t already “taken.”   They released their first wine under the Taken label in 2010, and the brand has continued to evolve. The idea for the Complicated and Available brands spun from the popularity of social media-created relationship status updates.   Telling their story digitally, Taken Wine Company’s interactive, social media driven website taps into ways millenials consume and share information.    

Roger Trinchero, Principal, Vice Chairman and CEO of Trinchero Family Estates (and Carlo Trinchero’s father) commented, “It has been exciting to watch Carlo and Josh follow their passion and produce creative, quality wines for this new generation of wine drinkers. We are proud to add these wines to our portfolio.”

The 2010 Taken Red Wine is a Napa-appellated blend of Cabernet (60%) and Merlot (40%), and retails for $30.  The 2011 Complicated Red Wine from California’s Central Coast is comprised of 50% Syrah, 43% Grenache, 7% Carignane, and retails for $20.  The 2012 Complicated is 100% Sonoma Valley Chardonnay and sells for $18.