Corus Brands Renamed Corus Estates & Vineyards; New Name Reflects Focus on Creation of High-Quality Boutique Wines.

SEATTLE -- Corus Brands has changed the name of its company to Corus Estates and Vineyards (CEV). The company believes the new name better reflects its commitment to producing limited-production estate wines.

Corus Estates & Vineyards produces several wines exclusively from its premium vineyards throughout the Northwest, including:

--Washington State: Zefina, Alder Ridge, and Six Prong

--Idaho: Sawtooth Winery, which also includes retail operations

--Oregon: Battle Creek, famous for its award-winning Pinot Noir

"Beginning in 2001, when we sold Columbia, Covey Run, Ste. Chappelle, Paul Thomas and Alice White to Canandaigua, it has been a journey towards a single goal: to become the Northwest's leading producer of high-quality, boutique wines." said Corus Estates & Vineyards President Ken McCabe. "By using only grapes from vineyards we own and manage, we start the winemaking process with the best fruit and we finish with the best wine."

Toward that end, the company has reached significant milestones in product quality, sales and operations across the three regions, highlighted by the following:

Revenue Growth

--CEV continues to see strong revenue growth, reporting a 50 percent increase in year-over-year sales across its family of wines.

Awards

--Two "Gold Plus" awards at 2005 Anniversary Hilton Head WineFest for 2001 Sawtooth Cabernet Sauvignon and 2001 Zefina Serience Red. A designation of Gold Plus means these were two of only 40 wines nominated for "Best of Show" at this prestigious event.

--Gold Medal for 2001 Zefina Serience Red at the 2004 Northwest Wine Summit.

--Gold Medal for 2002 Zefina Serience White at 2004 HiltonHead WineFest.

Idaho Winery Expansion

--CEV recently expanded its Sawtooth Winery, adding state-of-the-art equipment which will allow it to increase production but also increase quality of the wines that it produces.

Eastern Washington Expansion

--CEV recently also completed a new facility -- Zefina Winery -- at Alder Ridge Vineyard, sparing no expense on equipment and construction. The result is a "winemaker's dream facility."

New Winemaker

--CEV brought veteran winemaker Robert J. Chowanietz on board to craft the Zefina, Alder Ridge and Six Prong wines. Prior to joining CEV, Chowanietz served as consulting winemaker for Washington Vintners LLC, as cellarmaster for Woodward Canyon Winery and production supervisor for Canoe Ridge Vineyard. Charlie Hoppes continues to serve as a consulting winemaker to CEV.

New Releases

--Corus Estates & Vineyards will continue to release new vintages of several of its award-winning wines in coming months, beginning with 2003 Sawtooth Viognier and 2002 Sawtooth Cabernet in March and April.

About Corus Estates & Vineyards

Founded in 1998, Corus Estates and Vineyards is a family-owned producer of premium wines exclusively from the celebrated wine-growing regions of the Northwest. The company traces its wine industry heritage back to 1958, when a group of 10 friends founded Associated Vintners in a Laurelhurst garage. The group would go on to form Washington state's first winery, officially changing the name to Columbia Winery in 1983. CEV acquired Columbia in the early 1980s, adding several other brands over the years. In 2001, CEV sold its various brands to refocus on producing premium, handcrafted boutique wines from its own vineyards. Corus Estates & Vineyards has offices in Seattle and Sunnyside, Wash.