Episode 10: Benziger Wines; What Happens When the Unthinkable Happens

A Seat at the Table

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Chris Benziger comes from a long line of family working in the beverage business, starting with his grandfather smuggling Canadian whiskey into America on a tugboat during prohibition. But it was his oldest brother Mike who realized so much great wine was coming out of California and convinced his entrenched New York City family to move across the country and start a winery in Northern California.

All this happened when Chris was just 15 years old and after helping the family build the farm and then going off to college and working for many years in another career, he was wooed back to the winery to become a partner where he was instrumental in making Benziger a bio dynamic winery, which stopped using pesticides and chemicals to grow their grapes.

Chris got married, had a family and knew that he would be dedicated to Benziger Wines for the rest of his life. Then the unthinkable happened, his older brother was diagnosed with what was likely terminal cancer and the family and partners decided to sell the winery without consulting Chris. Devastated and angry for a time, Chris put the pieces of his life, his business and his family relationships back together and saw things work out with him still running Benziger Wines under new ownership.

Visit the Benziger Wine website

Visit the Capital Region Family Business Center website

Sponsor:

River City Bank