Introducing NEXT, a new brand from a new division of King Estate Winery

EUGENE, Ore., June 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The King family, owners of King Estate Winery, is pleased to introduce a new division and a new brand for wine lovers who enjoy exploring the growing regions of the Pacific Northwest.

King Vintners, a new division wholly owned by King Estate Winery, has been established to showcase distinctive Pacific Northwest growing regions and to share their stories that are as unique to the wine as the vineyards that produce the grapes and the people who tend them. The first of five brands to be launched by King Vintners is NEXT, making its debut June 28 on amazonwine.com. NEXT is the first wine ever developed from conception to release with Amazon Wine.

"Amazon Wine provides a convenient destination for customers to shop a vast selection of high quality and every day wine brands," says Nick Loeffler of Amazon Wine. "We're thrilled to connect wineries, like King Estate, with millions of customers and give them an innovative format to launch new brands."

Teaming up with Amazon Wine was a natural fit. Both companies embody the entrepreneurial spirit of the Pacific Northwest and share a pursuit of innovation and excellence.

"King Vintners represents an evolution in the King family's wine enterprise – a 'next' generation look at wine by an old wine family," says Ed King III who, with his father, the late Ed King, Jr., founded King Estate in 1991. "Now another generation of the family begins its chapter of the story. Much of the drive for NEXT comes from younger King Estate family and staff – our work family."

As the Kings see it, the new venture is a return to an earlier time when the connection between winemaker and customer was direct. "When people lived in the same village, the wines and cuisine developed together," King says. "Today that direct link is at risk of being lost. We're launching NEXT on Amazon to re-establish the connection between winemaker and wine lover in today's 'digital village.'"

Artwork for the NEXT label is from a piece by Boise artist Sandy Marostica (1949-2011) that hangs in the home of Ed and Jodee King.

NEXT is initially offering Pinot Gris ($20), Red Blend($30) and Pinot Noir ($40), and is available for purchase on amazonwine.com and eventually on kingvintners.com. Initial production is 1,500 cases of each varietal. King Vintners plans to add four more brands to its lineup, each representing a different wine-growing region from which KV sources its fruit.

King Vintners and Amazon are hosting a rooftop wine tasting on Thursday, June 29, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Dawson building, 345 Boren Ave. N., Seattle. Third-generation family members Justin King, Taylor King and Joe King will be in attendance. For access, call Jenny Ulum at 541-954-6819 when you arrive and we will escort you up. The event will also be livestreamed on Instagram, @kingvintners.

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SOURCE King Estate Winery