For Further Information:

 

Scheid Vineyards Inc.

305 Hilltown Road

Salinas, CA 93908

(831) 455-9990

 

CONTACT: Scott Scheid, President and CEO

                      Mike Thomsen, Chief Financial Officer

 

For Immediate Release:

December 8, 2008

 

 

SCHEID VINEYARDS INC. REPORTS 2nd QUARTER RESULTS

 President Comments on 2008 Harvest

 

SALINAS, CA – December 8, 2008 - Scheid Vineyards Inc. announced today its financial results for the second quarter ended August 31, 2008.

 

Mike Thomsen, Chief Financial Officer, reported, “Losses from operations for the six months ended August 31, 2008 totaled $5.2 million ($5.11 per share).  After an income tax adjustment ($1.8 million) and a decrease in the market valuation of an interest rate swap ($0.8 million), the net loss for the period was $2.6 million ($2.56 per share).”

 

Mr. Thomsen also reported, “Revenues for the period totaled $3.2 million and consisted primarily of sales of bulk wine and fees for the processing and storage of wines for others.  These revenues were offset by cost of sales of $3.5 million, selling, general and administrative expenses of $3.2 million, and interest expense in the amount of $1.6 million.”

 

Mr. Thomsen continued, “The six months ended August 31, 2008 is the second reporting period since the Company changed its fiscal year end from December 31 to February 28.  The change in fiscal year end was made in order to report financial results in a manner more consistent with the Company’s revenue cycle, as sales of bulk wine continue to replace wine grapes in the Company’s sales mix.  The first new fiscal year reflecting this change will end February 28, 2009.”  

 

Scott Scheid, CEO, commented on the wine grape harvest completed in mid- November.  “The Company experienced a disappointing harvest this year.  Tonnage per acre was down over 26% from our 5-year moving average and about 11% below the harvest of 2007.  This reduction in the crop is in line with wine grape industry results throughout the California Coastal Regions and was primarily due to adverse weather conditions in the spring and early summer of 2008.  It is expected that the Company will report a loss at the end of its fiscal year on February 28, 2009.”

 

Scheid Vineyards Inc. (www.scheidvineyards.com) operates approximately 5,300 acres of premium wine grape vineyards, primarily in Monterey County, California.  The Company’s state-of-the-art winery commenced operations in 2005 and has the capacity to process approximately 30,000 tons of grapes each harvest.  The Company’s primary business is producing wine grapes and converting them into high quality bulk wine for sale to other wineries.  In addition, the Company produces ultra premium wine under the Scheid Vineyards label, which is sold through the Company’s tasting rooms, wine club, and Monterey, California area retailers. 

 

The Class A Common Stock of Scheid Vineyards is traded on the Pink Sheets Electric Quotation Service under the stock symbol SVIN.  The “Pink Sheets” is a centralized quotation service that collects and publishes market maker quotes in real time, primarily through its website, www.pinksheets.com.

 

This release contains forward-looking statements as well as historical information. Statements of goals and strategies and words such as “plan”, “believe”, “anticipate”, “expect”, “objectives”, “forecast”, and “predict” and other similar words are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward looking statements are included in accordance with the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company’s actual results, performance, or financial condition to be materially different from any results, performance, or financial condition suggested by the statements in this release.

 

 

SCHEID VINEYARDS INC. AND SUBSIDIARY

UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS

SIX MONTHS ENDED AUGUST 31, 2008

(amounts in thousands, except per share data)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

REVENUES:

 

 

 

 

Bulk wine sales ………………………………………

 

 

$

1,257

 

Grapes sales ………………………………………….

 

 

280

 

Winery processing and storage revenues …………….

 

 

1,028

 

Vineyard management, services and other fees ……….

 

 

399

 

    Direct sales revenues …...……...…….…………..……

 

 

261

 

Total revenues ………………………………………

 

 

3,226

 

COST OF SALES ………………………………………

 

 

3,508

 

GROSS PROFIT (LOSS) ….….……………………….

 

 

(282

)

General and administrative expenses ………………….

 

 

2,966

 

Selling expenses ……………………………………….

 

 

258

 

Interest expense, net …...……………………………....

 

 

1,648

 

Market adjustment for interest rate swap …………..…

 

 

(773

)

LOSS BEFORE BENEFIT FROM INCOME TAXES.

 

 

(4,381

BENEFIT FROM INCOME TAXES ………………….

 

 

1,796

 

NET LOSS ……..……………………………………..…

 

 

$

(2,585

 

 

 

 

 

NET LOSS PER SHARE:

 

 

 

 

 

   BASIC …………………………………………………

 

 

$

(2.56

)

   DILUTED …………………………………………..…

 

 

$

(2.56

 

 

 

 

 

WEIGHTED AVERAGE SHARES OUTSTANDING:

 

 

 

 

  BASIC ………………………………….………………

 

 

1,007

 

  DILUTED……………………………………..…..……

 

 

1,007

 

 

 

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