Windsor Vineyards lays off 16 workers

 Windsor Vineyards laid off 16 workers this week in response to the tough sales environment for high-end wines.

"People are reticent to spend on higher-end wines right now," said Pat Roney, a partner in the wine company that bought Windsor Vineyards in 2007.

The winery, which focuses on selling wines with customized labels, found its "cold calling" division was having difficulty increasing sales to new customers over the telephone, Roney said.

About 10 people in the division were laid off Monday, with six additional layoffs among support staff and production, Roney said. The layoffs amount to about 9 percent of the total staff in the wine group, which now employs 164, Roney said.

Other wineries in the Yountville-based group include Sonoma Coast Vineyards, Stone-Fly, Windsor Sonoma and Grove Street Winery.

The wine group is backed by Leslie Rudd, founder of the upscale grocery Dean and Deluca.