[Seattle, WA] — LUKE Columbia Valley Wines and Evergreen Family Wines announced today that the acclaimed LUKE wine brand has been acquired by Evergreen Family Wines. While this transaction, announced by owners Kristin and Thomas Vogele of LUKE Columbia Valley Wines and Brandon Rice and Jerry Milbrandt of Evergreen Family Wines, marks a significant milestone for both companies, it is also a natural evolution after the two companies have worked closely together for over a decade.
Brandon Rice, co-owner of Evergreen Family Wines, has cultivated an impressive collection of wine brands across the Wahluke Slope and Ancient Lakes AVAs, produced at their facilities in Mattawa and Quincy, Washington. Rice notes, “Adding LUKE to the Evergreen Family portfolio represents an exciting development for us. We’ve been producing LUKE wines with Kristin and Thomas for over 10 years, and we look forward to elevating the brand to new heights. Wine lovers can expect LUKE to continue to represent the upper echelon of premium wines from the Wahluke Slope’s exceptional terroir. Our immediate focus will be on producing superior wines from our Estate Vineyards while expanding LUKE’s distribution throughout the USA and internationally.”
LUKE Columbia Valley wines have been crafted at Evergreen Family’s Mattawa facility since the inaugural 2012 vintage of LUKE Cabernet Sauvignon. The partnership has yielded continued success, including a Wine Spectator Top 100 wine. LUKE has garnered widespread critical acclaim, earning dozens of 90+ ratings from leading industry publications.
“We know that Evergreen Family Wines is the perfect home for LUKE. These are people who have been intimately involved in producing LUKE Columbia Valley wines from day one,” said Kristin Vogele. “The exciting news for our customers is that LUKE will now be available in three Washington tasting room locations and feature expanded wine club offerings through the Evergreen Family Wine Collection.”
The Vogeles will continue to guide LUKE over the next three years. Thomas Vogele stated, “The LUKE brand identity and quality standards will be preserved and enhanced through Evergreen Family’s extensive vineyard holdings and innovative winemaking approaches. I’m excited to continue to help Brandon and the Evergreen team understand our vision and keep LUKE wines true to themselves while reaching their full potential. The future looks exceptionally bright for LUKE.”
In 2020, LUKE 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon achieved #82 on Wine Enthusiast’s Top 100, and in 2022, its 2019 Merlot reached #69 on Wine Spectator’s Top 100. In 2024, LUKE Reserve Syrah 2018 earned the prestigious James Suckling “Great Wines of the World” designation, while Sean Sullivan’s Northwest Wine Report named the 2021 vintage Merlot one of the region’s Top Northwest wines.
Metis, a leading mergers and acquisitions firm serving exclusively the wine industry, was the exclusive transaction advisor. Metis CEO, Erik McLaughlin, stated, “LUKE is one of Washington’s great success stories, built on outstanding quality wines that over-deliver for their $25 price point. The asset light nature of the business made it a perfect fit for Evergreen Family Wines, one of the largest winegrowers and custom winemakers in Washington. LUKE offers Evergreen access to national and international markets with one of the state’s fastest growing brands, while Evergreen offers LUKE the opportunity to continue to improve both quality and volume with their estate vineyard holdings and state-of-the-art winemaking capabilities.”
About Evergreen Family Wines: Evergreen Family Wines is Washington’s largest family-owned grape-to-bottle wine company with facilities in Mattawa and Quincy and over 3,000 acres of estate vineyards farmed in the Wahluke Slope and Ancient Lakes sub-AVAs of the Columbia Valley. Wine brands include Milbrandt, Ryan Patrick, Simply…, Alki, French for Water, Caliche Estate, Rhody, Evergreen, and 1889.
About LUKE Columbia Valley Wines: Founded by Kristin and Thomas Vogele, LUKE Columbia Valley is a family-owned wine producer in Washington focusing on wines from the Wahluke Slope, AVA and Columbia Valley AVA. LUKE Wines are distributed throughout the USA in 40 states and internationally in Canada, Japan, South Korea and Singapore.
About Metis: Named for the Greek goddess of prudence and wise counsel, Metis is a leading mergers and acquisitions advisory firm focused exclusively on the wine industry. Metis offers a disciplined, confidential process to select clients. The Metis team is comprised of leaders with over 100 years of combined ownership and management experience in the industry who are strategically located in Napa, Willamette Valley, and Walla Walla. This unique combination of operational and M&A advisory expertise offers clients more than transactional guidance, but the consultation needed to unlock the full value of their business. To learn more, please visit www.metis-advisors.com.
