The Wine Institute

With a history of over 100 years, Coblentz, Patch, Duffy & Bass counsels clients in the Specialty Foods, Wine, and Beverage industries. Our lawyers usually serve as outside general counsel to clients in complex business transactions. We counsel our wine industry clients on compliance with industry regulations and laws, environmental and land use concerns, intellectual property and trade mark enforcement, advertising and unfair competition, employment, tax, estate planning and wealth management.

Through its Wine and Beverage, Real Estate, and Employment Group, Coblentz, Patch, Duffy & Bass offers comprehensive legal services in connection with various business transactions, such as:

• Negotiating and preparing custom crush agreements, barrel, scientific/chemistry testing and bottling agreements.

• Negotiating and completing merger/acquisition transactions including real property, vineyard and tasting room transactions .

• Preparing asset purchase agreements, including the intellectual property assets such as brands, trademarks, domain names, label designs, artwork and product recalls.

• Preparing non-compete and non-solicitation agreements.

• Optimizing estate planning and tax benefits in family acquisitions through additional structural mechanisms.

• Preparing lease agreements of vineyards.

• Counseling on California Environmental Regulations.

• Advising on water rights on property, environmental due diligence issues.

• Title searching and review of encumbrances; property surveys, eminent domain issues and preparation legal description of property.

• Drafting employment agreements