CHALLENGE

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Founder Andrew Davis began exploring a potential sale of Radiant Sparkling Wine Company in early 2024 with a clear understanding of its singular position in the market. As the only dedicated méthode champenoise service provider in the Pacific Northwest, Radiant became the leading service provider within a segment that continues to grow—even as broader wine demand plateaus. Sparkling wine has become a critical part of many Oregon wineries’ direct-to-consumer (DTC) strategies, and Radiant plays a central role in enabling its production efficiently and at scale. Sparkling wines have also become some of the most critically acclaimed in Oregon, including one Radiant client being awarded the #1 wine in the world in 2024 by the Wine Enthusiast. Because the cost of specialized equipment makes in-house sparkling wine production prohibitive for most wineries, most other custom crush facilities also outsource tirage and disgorgement to Radiant for their clients.

 

Davis’s objective was to identify a buyer who would appreciate Radiant’s unique position in the industry and could continue its legacy of excellence while capitalizing on the growing demand for sparkling wine. The ideal transaction would be one that would cause no disruption to the broad base of clients while also increasing volume potential and scope of services. It would include the Radiant brand, all employees, all equipment, assumption of client contracts, and a long-term lease on the existing facility in McMinnville, Oregon.

PROCESS

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The process began in the summer of 2024 when Andrew Davis approached Metis to conduct a market evaluation of Radiant Sparkling Wine Company and discuss potential next steps for a sale. Andrew had been approached by Rob Townsend, founding owner of Vinovate, a new premium custom crush facility in the Dundee Hills. Townsend and his team had expressed interest in Radiant even before Vinovate opened its doors, but at the time, Davis felt no urgency to pursue a deal—Radiant was operating exactly as he had envisioned.

 

Over time, however, the conversations continued, and Davis began to recognize the genuine passion Vinovate’s team had for sparkling wine and the natural alignment between the two businesses. Vinovate’s mission—connecting winemakers with the tools, expertise, and resources to craft small-lot, ultra-premium wines—was a strong philosophical match with Radiant’s specialized sparkling services. The combination of the two companies would allow Radiant to increase volume and serve more clients while also broadening the services available (including production of base wines) to truly be a grape-to-bottle solution for wineries.

 

Townsend clearly saw this potential as well and was persistent, requesting a formal meeting with Davis to explore a potential transaction. By this time Davis had engaged Metis to understand the value of his company, the universe of potential buyers, and to prepare confidential marketing materials and financial modeling. Prior to reaching out to any additional buyers though, Davis took the meeting with Townsend.  The fit and the potential were clear to everyone and Davis and Metis decided to pursue a deal with Vinovate exclusively for a short window of time prior to exploring the broader market. Metis provided Vinovate with the marketing materials and modeling, and the two worked together quickly and diligently to understand the financial and operation potential of the combined companies, as Townsend knew he had a limited time before other competitors would see the opportunity that he had seen.

 

Ultimately an offer was tendered and accepted that met Davis’ financial expectations and a two-month due diligence process began.  The aggressive due diligence timeline coincided with Radiant’s busiest time of year. The Metis team worked closely with Davis, Vinovate, and teams of lawyers and CPAs on both sides to manage a thorough diligence process, including sophisticated financial modeling, and achieving an on-time closing.