Even by Napa Valley’s astronomical real estate standards, the sale of Heitz Wine Cellars for a reported $180 million raised eyebrows. It’s the new normal there, though: According to the Napa-based County Appraisals Inc., vineyard properties in the area now routinely go for $400,000 an acre.

In response, some wineries have determined that it makes fiscal sense to find a less-expensive neighborhood. Jackson Family Wines, maker of Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay (the top selling chardonnay in the country), purchased its first vineyard in southern Oregon’s Willamette Valley in 2013. Today, the company owns and operates four wineries on more than 1,300 acres in the area, according to theWine Spectator. “In the world of winemaking, it’s still a young region with so much potential,” says Eugenia Keegan, JFW’s general manager in Oregon.

more at Bloomberg