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South Florida

Cheers! Napa winemaker buys Estates at Acqualina condo in Sunny Isles

Neil and Evan Ellman bought a unit in project’s newly completed north tower

Estates at Acqualina at 17901 Collins Avenue; Neil Ellman, Trump Group' Jules Trump (Getty, Google Maps,. Ellman Family Vineyard)
Estates at Acqualina at 17901 Collins Avenue; Neil Ellman, Trump Group' Jules Trump (Getty, Google Maps,. Ellman Family Vineyard)

The family that owns an award-winning Napa winery paid $9 million for a condo in the newly completed north tower of Estates at Acqualina in Sunny Isles Beach.

Records show Neil Ellman and Evan Ellman bought unit N-4101 in the project’s north tower at 17901 Collins Avenue, from an affiliate of the developer, Trump Group. The $1.8 billion Estates at Acqualina development is the Trump Group’s third project in Sunny Isles, with founders Jules and Eddie Trump at the helm (no relation to the former president).

Neil Ellman is the son of Leon and Elaine Ellman, and the third generation to lead his family’s mattress and bedding business, Sherwood Bedding. The family is originally from South Africa, and started the brand under the name Softex in 1954. The Trump brothers are also originally from South Africa.

The Ellman family also owns and operates Ellman Family Vineyard, an award-winning Napa winery. Neil Ellman is the proprietor of the winery, and Evan Ellman is its marketing director, LinkedIn shows.

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According to records, Neil Ellman also owns two units at Seacoast 5151, a condominium in Miami Beach, as well as a home in Boca Raton he bought for $750,000 in 2019.

Property records have not yet updated to reflect the size of the Estates at Acqualina unit. The development includes a 45,000-square-foot amenities villa with a bowling alley, movie theater and ice rink. Karl Lagerfeld designed the towers’ lobbies, and the New York City-based Greek restaurant Avra opened its Avra Miami Estiatorio late last year.  

Closings started in the 49-story, 154-unit south tower in June. Closings for units in the 52-story, 94-unit north tower began in February, after years of construction delays and litigation between the Trump Group and Suffolk Construction, the project’s builder.

The two-tower project has attracted many high-profile buyers, including LeBron James. A top litigator for Kirkland & Ellis bought a unit, also in the north tower, for $8 million in February. A Mexican pharmaceuticals heir bought a condo in the south tower for $10.1 million in November. Leslie Edelman, head of the gunmaker Kimber, bought a unit in the south tower for $21.3 million in December.