Valley of the Moon Villages Association profile: B.R. Cohn Winery
Each issue, the Kenwood Press will take a quick look at a member of the Valley of the Moon Villages Association, a group of local businesses that have joined together for marketing, public relations, and networking purposes. If you would like to find out more about Valley of the Moon Villages, go to www.valleyofthemoonvillages.com.
Working in an office right next to the B.R. Cohn Winery tasting room, Vallerie Cohn feels right at home, as well she should. After all, the tasting room building actually used to be the house where the Cohns raised Vallerie and her three siblings.
“This was a great place to grow up,” said Vallerie, a Dunbar School and Sonoma Valley High School graduate. Vallerie said that her dad, Bruce Cohn, “always found something for us to do,” ranging from dealing with all the olives on the ground to washing the glasses in the tasting room.
After taking business management classes in college as well as gaining a certificate in Wedding Coordination, Vallerie returned to the family business and is now B.R. Cohn’s Special Events & Wedding Coordinator.
Vallerie Cohn
Events and weddings are just some of the many activities happening on the 90-acre property in Glen Ellen, 61 acres of which are planted in vineyard, mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, with some plantings of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Merlot, Petite Syrah and Zinfandel. Founded by Bruce Cohn in 1984, the winery expanded into olive oil and specialty vinegars in 1991. B.R. Cohn’s wines, olive oils and vinegars have won multiple awards over the years.
In addition to the tasting room, there is a gourmet food shop where you can salivate over a number of goodies, including tapenades, stuffed olives, mustards, and chocolate sauces.
For weddings, there are multiple locations on the property to have an event that you won’t forget, sites ranging from a private grove to the Cohns’ amphitheatre.
“We find that brides are looking for that laid back family feel of a Sonoma winery,” said Vallerie, “and that’s what they find here.”
While their wines and olive oils are well known, the Cohn family is also an important part of the Sonoma Valley community, having established a reputation as generous benefactors.
B.R. Cohn plays host to a variety of charitable events throughout the year, most notably the annual B.R. Cohn Winery Fall Music Festival, where big names have come and rocked the valley for almost 25 years. (You could say that Bruce has a few connections, being the manager of the Doobie Brothers.) Proceeds from this weekend event go to a number of local charities.
The most recent charitable happening has been the July 4 Classic Car Exhibit, which Vallerie started in 2009. Seventy-five classic cars were on hand last year, along with live music and vendors, with proceeds going to the local hospice program.
Recently, Bruce Cohn received the Benny Friedman Community Recognition Award for his philanthropic efforts.
At B.R. Cohn, it’s definitely a family affair. Vallerie’s brother, Joe, just recently joined the winery’s accounting team.
“It’s great to see the family every day,” said Vallerie, “I really treasure that.”
B.R. Cohn is located at 15000 Sonoma Highway, and can be reached at 800-330-4064, or by going to www.brcohn.com.
