Chaddsford Winery, the 42-year-old Pennsylvania Route 1 winery near the Brandywine Museum of Art in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, is up for sale.
The sale price for the 5-acre property at 632 Baltimore Pike is $4.5 million, Vice President and General Manager Corey Krejcik told Delaware Online/The News Journal on Wednesday afternoon.
He said the owners are looking to consolidate their portfolio.
“They are looking to sell the property and business together and would love for it to remain a winery, but all options are on the table,” Krejcik said.
Chaddsford, one of Pennsylvania’s oldest and largest vintners, was founded in 1982 by innovative winemaker Eric Miller, a California native who once lived in Burgundy and made wine in upstate New York, and his wife Lee Miller.
The Millers made European-style wines and were among the first locally to produce unoaked Chardonnay and to produce red wines from northern Italian varietals.
The couple retired and stepped away from the business in 2012. The winery’s current owners are the Petrillo family of New York who had worked with the Millers.
Krejcik, who worked at Chaddsford from 2007 to 2010 and returned to the winery in 2015, said the Petrillo family is “consolidating their investment portfolio and exiting the winery business.”
Chaddsford recently has been known for making “approachable, food-friendly wines, ” including dry, sweet, and sparkling styles.
New Wyeth exhibit:Ghosts, dead bodies, Michael Jackson & Andy Warhol haunt Jamie Wyeth’s new exhibition
It has produced 24,000 cases annually and makes wines from grapes grown in Pennsylvania, New York and Maryland. Chaddsford wines are sold in retail shops in Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and Ohio.
Krejcik wrote on the Chaddsford website that the property “is poised for a new generation of energized ownership, whether it be a small collective of high-net-worth local and loyal oenophiles, individual investors and partners, or a hospitality-focused private equity group looking for a strong, established brand.”
It has wholesale distribution in seven states that comprise 23% of total sales, but 45% of total sales are “largely due to the memorable events hosted at this historic venue,” Krejcik wrote.
“The Petrillo family has enabled Chaddsford Winery to become a destination to experience wine in a fun environment, encouraging exploration through unique pairings and events. Chaddsford is a strong, modern brand with a loyal following and is now positioned to take the business to the next level under new ownership,” Krejcik wrote.
The winery is still in operation.
This isn’t the first Chester County area winery listed for sale in recent years.
In 2023, Longwood Gardens confirmed that it purchased Galer Estate Vineyard and Winery, formerly known as Folly Hill Vineyards. The 7.4 acres at 700 Folly Hill Road was listed by Kurfiss Sotheby’s International Realty for $3.395 million.
The vineyard closed its doors in late September 2023. Longwood, which had previously owned the land, would not disclose how much it paid for the property. A Longwood spokesperson said there were no plans to continue it as a winery.
Not running a winery:Longwood Gardens gives update on Granogue after toasting new winery purchase
“I don’t think we want to get into the wine business. We don’t have any immediate plans to do that,” Longwood spokesperson Patricia Evans told Delaware Online/The News Journal in October 2023.
Serious buyers interested in the Chaddsford winery property can email corey@chaddsford.com
If you want to read more stories from Patricia Talorico, visitdelawareonline.com/staff/2646617001/patricia-talorico You can find her on Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and Facebook. Emailptalorico@delawareonline.com or leave a message at 302-324-2861. Sign up for herDelaware Eats newsletter.
