Board Member, Wine Business Institute
Richard J. Idell is the founding partner of The Idell Firm and of counsel to the law firm of Dickenson, Peatman and Forgary in Napa and Santa Rosa (www.dpf-law.com), wine industry specialists. Richard’s litigation and transactional practice focuses primarily on the live entertainment industry and the wine industry. On the wine industry side of the practice, he represents and advises wineries, vineyard owners and other wine industry businesses on a variety of IP, business and real estate issues: trademark/branding, regulatory/environmental issues, winery and vineyard acquisition, Williamson Act, real property matters including permitting of wineries and tasting rooms, zoning, easements, vineyard leases, grape contracts, custom crush agreements and alternating proprietorship agreements. On the entertainment side, he represents presenters of live entertainment performances. Richard and his wife Susan are grape growers in Sonoma Valley since 2005 and produce wine under the brand: Idell Family Vineyards.