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Investment helps Dobbes expand Oregon wine operation

By Andy Perdue on February 7, 2013

Wine by Joe, run by Oregon wine star Joe Dobbes, received a boost today when Bacchus Capital Management, a private equity firm, made a capital investment to allow Wine by Joe to expand its national and international distribution, boost inventory and build infrastructure.

The information was released today from Bacchus Capital Management.

“I started this company 10 years ago with $50,000 and a deep passion for winemaking,” said Dobbes, who operates in Dundee, Ore. “Today, we’re one of the largest wine producers in the state. A deeper relationship with Bacchus enhances our resources and the industry expertise we need to support our own three brands: Dobbes Family Estate, Wine by Joe and Jovino.”

Dobbes added that this also will help him with his custom winemaking business.

At the same time, Dobbes added Anthony Van Nice as the company’s chief operating officer.

Bacchus Capital Management is based in San Francisco.

Dobbes has been on the Oregon wine scene since the mid-1980s. After working in Germany in 1985, he returned to his native Oregon to work at Elk Cove in Gaston. He then headed back to Europe, this time working in Burgundy. Upon his return to Oregon wine country, he became winemaker at Hinman before moving to Willamette Valley Vineyards, where he oversaw winemaking and production of one of the state’s largest producers. He left in 2003 to launch Dobbes Estate and Wine by Joe while also making wine for many client wineries. He launched Jovino in 2005.

Wine by Joe is a value label, with all wines selling for under $20.

Dobbes also owns Larkins Estate Vineyard in the Willamette Valley, a 214-acre site in Polk County that includes plantings of Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris. The vineyard takes advantage of Pacific Ocean breezes coming through the Van Duzer Corridor, a gap in the Coast Range that has shown to influence wine quality in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA.

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About Andy Perdue

Andy Perdue is the editor and publisher of Great Northwest Wine. He is a third-generation journalist who has worked at newspapers since the mid-1980s and has been writing about wine since 1998. He co-founded Wine Press Northwest magazine with Eric Degerman and served as its editor-in-chief for 15 years. He is a frequent judge at international wine competitions. He is the author of "The Northwest Wine Guide: A Buyer's Handbook" (Sasquatch, 2003) and has contributed to four other books. He writes about wine for The Seattle Times. You can find him on Twitter and Google+.