By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
Bill Foley, the serial dealmaker, is back at it.
The VGK owner’s business empire, officially known as the Foley Entertainment Group (FEG), has purchased a luxury inn and vineyard in Oregon an hour’s drive southwest of Portland.
Foley purchased Black Walnut Inn & Vineyard, located in Dundee, Oregon in the Willamette Valley wine region. Foley already owns a slew of wineries in California and bought a historic inn, Hotel Californian, in Santa Barbara, California last year. Here’s a pic from the inn’s website:
In a press release, Foley offered this: “The beautiful Black Walnut Inn & Vineyard is a fitting addition to our growing portfolio of FEG hospitality entities . . . The property aligns perfectly with our commitment to five-star experiences and fine wines, in a breathtaking setting and a part of the country that is very meaningful to our family.”
On the culinary front, Randy Morton, who is the Foley Entertainment Group co-CEO, said Executive Chef Chase Williams will continue to lead Black Walnut Inn & Vineyard’s offerings.
Foley has lots going on here in metro Las Vegas. His new 6,000-seat arena in Henderson, Dollar Loan Center at the site of the old Henderson Pavilion near The District shopping area, has a ribbon-cutting Thursday. The arena will host Henderson Silver Knights minor league hockey and Vegas Knight Hawks indoor football games. The new arena’s first ticketed event is the Big West college basketball tourney in a week — one of five college hoops conference tourneys in the Las Vegas market this month. The Dollar Loan Center arena even includes a Foley-owned pub.
Foley also uses Golden Knights home games at T-Mobile Arena to cross-promote his wines and hospitality opportunities.
As way as background, the Foley release said “Black Walnut Inn & Vineyard is a nine-room, Tuscan-style villa overlooking rolling vineyards, forests and farm fields of the Willamette Valley. Its vineyards feature 100 acres of pinot noir and chardonnay vines. FEG’s plans for the property include expanding the number of guest rooms, adding a Foley Family Wines Guest Experience Center and increasing the private event offerings.”
By the way, Foley Family Wines features two Oregon wineries: The Four Graces – which is also in Dundee – and Acrobat. The Four Graces has had two wines named to the Wine Spectator Top 100 in the past four years.
Black Walnut Inn & Vineyard is the second major hospitality addition to the Foley Entertainment Group portfolio in six months, following the purchase of Hotel Californian in September 2021.
The VGK play San Jose at home tonight.