Columbia Winery staying in Woodinville

Columbia Winery's new owner signed a long-term lease that will keep the winery in its current Woodinville location, the winery said Friday.

Founded in 1962, Columbia said last year it expected to leave its iconic building, which is owned by Stan and Brandon Baty. Their father, Dan, was the majority owner of Columbia, Covey Run and other wine brands that Constellation bought in 2001.

This past summer, Columbia and sibling winery Covey Run were sold by their parent company, Constellation Brands, to a new privately owned company in California called Ascentia Wine Estates. Columbia's tasting room was scheduled to stay open at least through the end of this year.

Now, the winery hopes to reinstate itself as a popular venue for events, including weddings.

Woodinville Mayor Scott Hageman was delighted with the change of plans. "We welcome Columbia Winery's new owner, Ascentia Wine Estates, with open arms," he said in a press release.

Jim DeBonis, Ascentia's CEO, said in a press release that "The decision to keep Columbia Winery in Woodinville was very important to us. It was paramount to Ascentia's growth plan for our Columbia Winery brand and for the protection of employees in the Pacific Northwest. It is also essential to our local consumers, tourists and distributors, while maintaining a significant presence in the growing Washington wine industry."