Meier's Wine Cellars Acquisition, LLC, the lead debtor for Vintage Wine Estates, Inc., filed Chapter 11 on July 24, 2024 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (Case No. 24-11575). Vintage Wine Estates was a multi-brand wine platform founded in 2008 by Pat Roney and headquartered in Santa Rosa, California, operating three business segments (direct-to-consumer, wholesale, and B2B contract manufacturing/private label) with a portfolio of 30+ wine brands across 11 wineries and 9 tasting rooms, including nationally recognized brands (Clos Pegase, Girard, B.R. Cohn, Kunde, Viansa, Swanson). The company went public in 2021 with a $600 million IPO valuation but saw shares collapse from a post-IPO high of $12.63 to $0.11 by the bankruptcy filing after pursuing an aggressive, highly leveraged acquisition strategy. At filing, VWE carried approximately $400 million in total liabilities (including ~$310 million owed to BMO) against ~$475 million in assets. The debtors obtained a BMO-agented DIP facility of up to $60.5 million ($21.5 million interim, $26.5 million final commitment plus roll-up). A comprehensive asset sale process generated approximately $158 million in proceeds across 10 primary transactions, with key sales including Jay Adair's (Copart executive chairman) $85 million acquisition of five wineries and Bartow Ethanol's $6.2 million purchase of Meier's Wine Cellars. The debtors' joint plan of liquidation was confirmed on February 26, 2025 and became effective February 28, 2025, establishing a liquidation trust administered by Liquidation Trustee David P. Stapleton. As of January 2026, post-confirmation claims reconciliation continues with approximately 1,304 claims filed (aggregate face value exceeding $3 billion) and the trustee seeking further extensions of the claims objection bar date to August 24, 2026.