Purple Wine Company Appoints New Senior Vice President of Marketing

GRATON, CA, February 16, 2011- Purple Wine Company (PWC), the rapidly growing enterprise behind wine brands Avalon, Mark West, Rock Rabbit, Bex, and most recently Four Vines, has just named Bill Grant as their new Senior Vice President of Marketing.

Bill Grant joined the PWC team with the acquisition of Four Vines Winery this past October. An east coast transplant, Grant attended UC Berkeley and upon finishing followed his  entrepreneurial spirit to build his own financial services venture. In 2002, when childhood  friend Christian Tietje needed a partner to support his growing winery, Grant sold his successful financial venture and joined Four Vines Winery as a co-owner.

During his time at Four Vines, Grant was instrumental in building the brand to a 125,000 case production in 2009. He launched the “Drink Naked” tour, which nationally supported the success of the Four Vines Naked Chardonnay. When Purple Wine Company acquired the Four Vines brand, Grant joined the executive team. Grant was a welcome addition to the company, with specific adroitness in developing brands that focus on over-delivering quality in the value price category of $10-15 per bottle retail. In addition to Four Vines, he will now be managing all marketing strategy and activity for the similar category leaders owned by PWC: Mark West Pinot Noir, Avalon Cabernet Sauvignon, Bex Reisling, and Rock Rabbit Sauvignon Blanc.

“We’re excited to have Bill on the team at Purple Wine Company. Bill’s work on the Four Vines brand development was unique and refreshing in the wine industry. We look forward to him bringing that perspective to all Purple Wine Company’s products,” says Dennis Carroll, President of Purple Wine Company.