Ricci Vineyards Carneros, 24165 Ramal Rd, Sonoma, CA 95476, US

Silverado Winegrowers, in conjunction with Silverado Premium Properties, is a real estate investment company. Silverado Winegrowers came into the picture almost 30 years ago. Owner David Freed, a name synonymous with winemaking, and his partners have helped re-charge new capital into the wine industry when there was none available. The company is an integral part of the wine industry for Napa and Sonoma valleys and wine regions as far south as Monterey, King City/Soledad area, Paso Robles, Santa Maria, Clarksburg-Delta area and Lodi. Freed, a real estate attorney who stumbled into the wine industry, has become the lead figure in introducing the leaseback option for wine growers. It came about at a time when smaller wineries and boutique brands swept in, vying for a place in the sun. These wineries didn't have the space or capacity to grow their own grapes; rather, they were interested in sourcing bulk already-crushed wine, and this is where Silverado Winegrowers steps in. Though this is not a new concept in the industry, Silverado is a bit different in that it can succinctly point each contract to a specific block on respective vineyards, which it leases, right down to a particular number of rows on the vineyard. At harvest time, Silverado processes the grapes and delivers the bulk wine to its client. David Freed co-founded the annual Wine Industry Financial Symposium, which continues to help bridge the gap between the financial sector, vitners and winegrowers.