V2 Wine Group Launches with Acquisition of Steelhead Wines
August 18, 2010, Sonoma, Calif.

V2 Wine Group, a new wine company founded by Dan and Katy Leese in partnership with Pete Kight, launches today with the full acquisition of Steelhead Wines of Dry Creek Valley. Based in Sonoma, California, V2 Wine Group is a wine producer that will also provide sales and marketing services to a limited group of third-party wineries. It is the latest venture of Dan and Katy Leese and wine entrepreneur Pete Kight.

“We have worked with Pete for several years and are thrilled to partner with him on V2,” commented Dan Leese, co-founder and president of the new company. “Pete’s integrity and understanding of business combined with our experience and passion for brand building put V2 Wine Group on the right track to quickly achieve our goal of becoming one of the top wine companies in the U.S.”

Steelhead Wines, the first wine brand dedicated to fisheries conservation, began with the winery’s commitment to restoring the steelhead and Coho salmon habitat in a tributary of the Dry Creek River. A long-time official sponsor of Trout Unlimited, Steelhead donates a portion of the proceeds from every bottle sale of its Steelhead Wines to help fund Trout Unlimited’s creek restoration projects. 

“For V2 Wine Group, Steelhead Wines is a great anchor for what will become a strong international portfolio of exciting, highly differentiated wine products,” said Co-Founder Pete Kight. “Under Dan and Katy’s dynamic leadership and talent for innovation the potential for Steelhead and for additional brands we develop and acquire in the future, is unlimited. ”

Both Dan and Katy Leese have a proven track record of building strong wine brands in the North American marketplace. Dan Leese’s 30-year career in the industry includes leadership positions at Beringer Blass Wine Estates where he served as president and managing director and Brown-Forman Wine Group’s U.S. Wine Business where he was executive vice president and managing director. With a focus on product development, packaging and public relations, Katy Leese has overseen several successful domestic and international brand launches. The couple, who co-founded 585 Wine Partners in 2005, oversaw unprecedented growth at the company, which finished 2009 as the 27th largest U.S. wine company according to Wine Business Monthly.

“V2 is our collective vision to build a strong differentiated portfolio that effectively utilizes a consolidating three-tier system. We know we have the right tools and relationships to be effective,” commented V2 Wine Group General Manager Katy Leese.

V2 Wine Group is a wine production, marketing and sales organization dedicated to building strong wine brands in the North American marketplace. Based in Sonoma, California, the company is a partnership between wine industry veterans Dan and Katy Leese and entrepreneur Pete Kight.

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