Citing the continued expansion of Precept Wine’s overall business and its long term commitment to improve overall quality and service, Precept Wine Vice President of Winemaking and Operations Mark Castaldi announced the following organizational changes:
- Mike Allen has been promoted to the position of Director of Maintenance. Mike will report directly into Castaldi and oversee all winery and bottling maintenance functions for all of WA, ID, OR and Canadian sites. In addition, Allen will provide support in defining the long term strategic direction of Precept’s bottling operations.
- Jon Zimmerman, previously assistant winemaker for Canoe Ridge Vineyard, will assume the role of Winemaker for both the Alder Ridge and Willow Crest wineries in Prosser and will oversee day-to-day winemaking operations at both sites. Zimmerman will also provide support to Precept’s partner boutique winemakers. He brings more than 30 years of combined winemaking experience.
- Jeff Merritt is a recent addition to the Precept Operations team and will be taking the role of Waterbrook Bottling Manager. Most recently, he was with J. Lieb Foods in Kennewick, Wash., where he held the position of Production Manager and was responsible for the day to day oversight of multiple high speed bottling and processing lines, Quality Control, and Safety Training Programs. Merritt will be based out of Waterbrook Winery and will oversee all bottling and bag-in-box operations at that site.
- Jacob Mooney will assume the role of Global Warehouse and Logistics Manager, based out of Waterbrook Winery. In this role, Mooney will oversee the day- to-day operations of the Waterbrook case goods warehouse, inventory management, and order fulfillment functions. In addition, this role will also encompass freight and logistics management for Precept’s overall supply chain operations.
Seattle-based Precept Wine is the largest privately held wine producer in the Pacific Northwest and a top 20 American wine producer. With deep roots representing 30 years of Northwest investments in the wine industry, it owns and operates more than 4,200 acres of vineyards across Washington, Idaho and Oregon; such leading wine brands as Waterbrook, Canoe Ridge Vineyard, Apex Cellars, Willow Crest, Ste. Chapelle, HOUSE Wine, Browne Family Vineyards, Pendulum, Primarius, Washington Hills, Shingleback, Red Knot and Chocolate Shop; and tasting rooms and hospitality throughout the Northwest. Founded in 2003 by Andrew Browne, the company’s wineries have garnered more than 500 combined best buys and critical scores exceeding 90 points. Learn more at www.preceptwine.com.
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