A Former Google Exec Takes Over Two Sonoma County Wineries
Remy Saves the World, a label under the Reeves Wine brand, now belongs to a former Google executive. Remy Saves the World
A former Google executive has added two popular Sonoma County wine companies to his growing roster of businesses. Overshine Collective has purchased Healdsburg's Reeve Wines and Sebastopol's Martha Stoumen Wines. The Press Democrat reports that Collective is a holding company for David Drummond, former senior vice president of corporate development and chief legal officer for Google parent company, Alphabet Inc. The Reeve Wines acquisition includes the subsidiary wine labels BloodRoot and Remy Saves the Sea plus music festival benefiting gun safety reform, the Ramble.
That said, joining the Overshine Collective — while a literal acquisition — includes equity options for the founders. Idlewild Wines founder Sam Bilbro, who also sold to the Overshine Collective, described it to the San Francisco Chronicle like tech companies buying each other and remaining independent brands. Drummond at the helm has also acquired Armida Winery, a 550-acre vineyard in the Russian River Valley, and debuted two wine brands, Overshine and Comunità.
Wine bar pro and coffee ace team up
One of the talents behind Nob Hill's Habibi bar, Bahman Safari, has moved the operation into its own location in the same neighborhood. Bar Bibi is set to open in the former Ristorante Milano space in August, per Tablehopper. A wine and dinner service will be dropping any day now. Bay Area barista and founder of pop-up Better Half Coffee Joshua Kaplowitz will run his operation inside the space, too. Treats for that daytime operation will come from Luis Villavelazquez's Bellaria.
Dubai chocolate gets a local vegan candy twist
Somewhat inevitable in the Bay Area, a vegan and gluten free riff on one of the internet's trendiest desserts has emerged. Richmond's Coracao chocolate — a longtime player in the region's plant-based chocolate game — just launched a Dubai chocolate bar. The pack of three arrives crowned in Santa Barbara pistachios and, rather than Kaitafe, crisped quinoa and toasted coconut to recreate that feature.
Two major wine country players link
The longtime favorite winery Ashes & Diamonds will host cuisine from the Sea Ranch Lodge in August. From Monday, August 18, through Sunday, August 31, the menu at the winery will come from produce grown at the lodge's coastal farm. Furthering the partnership, Ashes & Diamonds members will receive discounted rates on stays and farm tours.
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