BRIEFCASE VINESSE ACQUIRING WINERY.

Byline: - Staff and Wire Services

WESTLAKE VILLAGE - Vinesse LLC, a Westlake Village-based wine marketing company, is buying the Royal Oaks Winery near Los Olivos in the Santa Ynez Valley, a Vinesse official said Monday.

The purchase includes a 36-acre parcel, planted on 17 acres, as well as a tasting room in Solvang at 1651 Copenhagen Drive.

The vineyard is now planted for sauvignon blanc, semillon and merlot. Vinesse plans some changes to this varietal mix, as well as expansion of vineyard planting.

NAACP supports Nielsen's

The head of the NAACP went on record in support of Nielsen's new TV-ratings system that Los Angeles-based Univision officials call unreliable in counting some minority viewers.

``After much reflection and personal investigation, I have decided to support the Nielsen Media Research use of Local People Meters as a vastly improved way of measuring television viewership,'' NAACP chief Kweisi Mfume wrote to Nielsen's Susan Whiting.

``The LPM is clearly a more accurate and reliable way of tracking household viewing habits than any previous measurement system.''

After defending its new rating system in court, Nielsen rolled out its LPMs - amid criticism that they misrepresent minority viewing habits - in Los Angeles on July 8.

Dockers auction canceled

SAN FRANCISCO - Levi Strauss & Co. pulled its Dockers brand off the auction block Monday, signaling management belief that it can rejuvenate the 18-year-old casual clothing line.

The change of heart comes more than five months after San Francisco- based Levi's announced plans to sell its Dockers business and use the money from the sale to reduce its $2.2 billion debt.

When Levi's announced its plans in May, officials emphasized that the company would hold on to the Dockers brand if the bidding didn't generate an acceptable sales price.

Although Levi's officials said Dockers attracted plenty of interest, none of the offers was enough to persuade them to part with one of the world's best-known clothing brands.

Short-term T-bills climb

WASHINGTON - Interest rates on short-term Treasury bills rose in Monday's auction to the highest levels in 30 months.

The Treasury Department auctioned $20 billion in three-month bills at a discount rate of 1.770 percent. An additional $18 billion in six-month bills was auctioned at a discount rate of 1.990 percent.

The three-month rate was up from 1.680 percent last week and was the highest since three-month bills averaged 1.790 percent April 1, 2002. The six-month rate was up from 1.955 percent last week and was the highest since 2.110 percent April 1, 2002.

In a separate report, the Federal Reserve said Monday that the average yield for one-year Treasury bills, a popular index for making changes in adjustable rate mortgages, fell to 2.18 percent last week from 2.24 percent the previous week.