The upward trend is a signal that the world-renown wines of the region
are continuing to attract top-tier investors.
Jan. 5, 2021 (Paso Robles, Calif.) – With all the challenges of 2020, one sector in the Central Coast saw a significant upswing – the demand for vineyard acres and wineries, says Jenny Heinzen, California’s leading broker for vineyard and winery properties.
“While 2020 proved to be even more stressful than imagined, I saw encouraging signs in wine consumption and active grape buying during harvest,” says Heinzen, founder of Paso Robles-based Jenny Heinzen Real Estate. “As with past difficult vintages and economic environments, the wine industry sees growth through innovation and renewal – and this is especially evident with the current robust vineyard sales activity.”
Marking its best year since being founded in 2004, Jenny Heinzen Real Estate saw record sales of acreage and winery properties in Monterey, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties this year, transacting 5,233 acres of sales in 2020.
The Central Coast region, and Paso Robles American Viticulture Area (AVA) specifically, continues to be a leader and a hotbed of activity with major wine companies and institutional agriculture investors clamoring for a slice of the region for vineyard and winery operations. Heinzen worked with nine successful buyers and sellers, had average sold listings of $6.6 million and a single highest transaction of $17 million during the last year.
In September alone, Heinzen brokered more than $31 million in Central Coast vineyard sales for three separate groups of institutional agriculture investors. The competition is so fierce, one of the Paso Robles deals, consisting of a winery and vineyard, closed in a record time of only two weeks.
“For years, the success of Central Coast’s visionary growers and winemakers was seen in high scores and steady growth in wine tourism,” says Heinzen. “But even with that success, it was always thought of as an ‘emerging region.’ But this extremely high demand for vineyard and winery acreage shows the Central Coast is no longer an emerging region – it’s well established.”
With the steadily rising demand for vineyard and winery properties amid the COVID-19 crisis, Heinzen forecasts that the Central Coast wine business market will prove even more robust.
“Mother nature threw us yet another curve ball last season with record heat spikes and increased wildfires. These disruptions in the market create opportunity for savvy investors to purchase vineyards in need of redevelopment, preparing them for the next upswing and peak grape market,” said Heinzen as she is already lining up select new listings and additional offerings for the year ahead.
Watch Heinzen’s blogs for upcoming information as she keeps current on issues facing buyers and sellers. Upcoming topics include: Prop 19 and vineyard property, celebrities & vineyard ownership, the status of regulation over the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin, Williamson Act and vineyards, and vineyard tycoons of the Central Coast.
About Jenny Heinzen Real Estate
Founded in 2004, Jenny Heinzen Real Estate is one of America’s leading vineyard real estate firms, offering real estate representation to institutional investors, wineries, growers and lifestyle owners on the Central Coast of California. A Central Coast native, Founder Jenny Heinzen grew up in a real estate investment family and earned a Masters in Agriculture from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. After working at a prestigious M & A firm, she earned her broker license in 2004 and partnered with a boutique Napa Valley firm specializing in vineyard, winery, and lifestyle properties. Named a “30 under 30” by the National Association of REALTORS®, Jenny is a former president of the Women’s Council of Realtors. jennyheinzen.com
