2021.  A year with big expectations.  The re-opening of economies around the world with Covid vaccines in distributions instead led to fits and starts with the Delta and Omicron variants.  Wine pricing and costs went through gyrations with the tariffs between the EU and US imposed and then lifted and supply chain disruptions creating both cost and availability issues.  And clean and natural wines continued to become a broader topic amongst wine consumers and the trade who struggle with their definitions and impact.  XChateau assembled a panel across the wine value chain (Producer - Diana Snowden Seysses of Snowden Vineyard and Domaine Dujac;  Importer - Xavier Barlier of MMD; Distributor - Michael Papaleo of Banville Wine Merchants; Retailer - Kyle Meyer of The Wine Exchange; and Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW of The Wine Advocate) to discuss these issues and answer audience questions live on Clubhouse.  A wide-ranging and captivating conversation!Also, people have asked us how they can support the show.  So, we recently launched on  Patreon, where your contributions will help keep the wine business content flowing! Detailed Show Notes: Panelists: Producer perspective - Diana Snowden Seysses, winemaker at Snowden Vineyards in Napa & Domaine Dujac in BurgundyImporter perspective, Xavier Barlier, SVP of Marketing & Communications for Maison Marques & Domaines USA, the importation arm of Champagne Louis Roederer and related companiesDistributor perspective - Michael Papaleo, VP of Sales at Banville Wine Merchants, an importer and distributor focused on the New York, New Jersey, and Mid-Atlantic regionRetailer perspective - Kyle Meyer, Managing Partner of The Wine Exchange, a leader wine retailer in Orange County, CaliforniaWine Critic / Reviewer perspective - Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Editor-in-Chief of Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate for the last 13 yearsTopic: Re-opening from CovidDiana - producers in Napa and France weren’t required to close. Their biggest concern was keeping employees safeMike - learned how to conduct non-in-person sales (online and on the phone) by creating compelling content and using humor to find ways to engage accountsLuxury wines did well - the average case price pre-pandemic was $136/case; increased by $30/caseOn-premise recovered, but not all the way - 2019 - 55% on-premise, 2020 - 27% on-premise, 2021 - 44% on-premiseCollectors who were drinking through their wines started re-filling their cellarsBanville Wine Merchants was able to expand through the crisis (headcount went from 12 salespeople in 2020 to 16 in 2021, with 21 expected in 2022)Kyle - 2020 Q2/3 - online orders went up dramatically - people bought everything2020 Q4 - needed more inventory, supply chain issues created lack of access that persisted into 2021A lot of people are now comfortable buying wine online, do to a big pick up business75% of sales online pre-Covid, now 85-90%2021 felt more normal, like 2018 (2019 had issues w/ tariffs, etc.)Xavier - MMD’s luxury portfolio was positioned mainly towards on-premise Pivoted to off-premise (e.g., high-end Safeway stores in Los Angeles)Champagne shortages in 2021 - Roederer is sold out, pricing of Champagne is higher than it was before, bubbly is more popular than everLisa - The Wine Advocate piggybacked on the success of online wine sales -> web views were up 10x vs. pre-Covid, subscriptions showed strong growth, but not as much as web viewsEvents had to be canceled in 2020, tastings re-factored, including re-packaging wines into little bottles for tastingsPulled off some events (e.g., Kings of Rhone, Bordeaux 2010)End of 2021 - lots of Zoom fatigue, people want in-person events, but push for smaller events (e.g., masterclasses, dinners) to avoid large groupsHope to keep some virtual events in the future w/ hybrid elementsXavier - used to have to travel a lot before, pivoting to virtual staff training in the B2B context in 2021 was more efficient and convenientTopic: Inflation / Wine PricingKyle - some prices have gone up, but more steady than expectedCA prices are going up because of the light 2020 vintage (fires)Bordeaux 2020 releases prices much higherBurgundy - pretty steady pricing with slight increasesGermany - top producers are increasing prices as they were underpriced beforeXavier - w/ tariffs and increased shipping costs, MMD has tried to absorb the impact with their partners - sharing ⅓ producer/supplier, ⅓ importer/MMD, and ⅓ distributorMike - bought long on some products pre-tariffs, which helped through the first half of 2021Did reduce some margins and tried not to pass on increased costs to customersSome allocated Burgundy had to pass on cost increasesLisa - people looked more at domestic wines than usual, specifically 2018 and 2019 Napa wines, primarily because of 2020 fires and short vintageBordeaux 2020 is a lot higher pricing than 2019, even with a less consistent vintageDiana - had supply chain issues pre-Covid, including a glass shortage (as only river sand can be used, not desert sand)Have learned to order early to deal w/ shortages (e.g., glass, labels, capsules)Facing labor shortages globallyWineries have absorbed increased costs of glass and corksTopic: Clean & Natural WinesLisa - there is no definition of clean wine. It’s just a marketing fabricationNatural wine is a misleading term as well. It means different things to different peopleKyle - no one has asked for clean wine yetCustomer curiosity around natural wine, but people believe they are faulty wines (e.g., mercaptans, Brettanomyces)Wine merchants need to educate consumers around these topicsXavier - positive part of this trend is that it creates a conversation around wineDiana - need to educate consumers around sustainability. It’s positive that people are worried about the climate and sustainability. If there’s no definition of the term, it becomes greenwashingAudience Questions: Matthew - how do you best educate, communicate organic sources, and implement sustainable practices without greenwashing? Lisa - be very honest about what you’re doingKyle - make them “a” point vs. “the” point, the wine should be “the” point, make the best wine you canZiad - how is the wine sector coping with climate change? Lisa - need to live w/ extreme events (e.g., wildfires, water shortages) more frequently, all over the worldXavier - Piemonte & Champagne have benefitted from climate change, and some have adapted winemaking; e.g., Louis Roederer has evolved their Brut Premier multi-vintage wine to “Collection 242,” a new multi-vintage wine that will have a unique number and release each year as the wine is now based around a single vintageDiana - there are two conversations - one on adaptation and one on decelerating climate change through GHG emission reductionsAdaptation - France has to deal with frost issues, especially in Burgundy, Napa has drought and heat Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. 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An early mover focusing on fine wine, Bordeaux and California futures, and becoming a dual importer/retailer, Addy Bassin’s MacArthur Beverages has become a wine institution in Washington DC.  Phil Bernstein, General Manager of the brick & mortar wine retail store and importer, tells us about how he thinks about wine pricing, direct importing wines, the changes in consumer buying patterns, and more as we continue to delve into the future of wine retail.  Detailed Show Notes: Phil’s backgroundHe grew up in Long Island, played Trumpet, and pursued a career as a professional trumpet playerHe ended up begging for a part-time job at a retail shop in Ann Arbor, MI, and got his start in wineSaw a job at Calvert Woodley in DC on winejobs.com and moved to DCHe moved to Macarthur Beverages so he could become a wine buyer and became GM in April 2018Macarthur Beverages historyAn institution in DC, in the Palisades suburbsFounded in 1957 by Addy Bassin and his wife, RuthOne of the 1st to offer Bordeaux En PrimeurHe was notable for bidding on one of the Jefferson wine bottlesThey had a focus on fine wine from an early stage Both a national shop (because of fine wine focus) and a neighborhood storePre-pandemic - 50% online / 50% in-store; today - 70% online, 30% in-storeUsed to have tastings every Sat in-store to drive foot trafficPeople now do curbside pick up after ordering onlineDoes a lot of DC area delivery (can only legally deliver in DC, not nearby suburbs in MD or VA)Physical store for wine retail - “nothing beats the human interaction”Pricing for wine retail - “price is everything”Believes that price often trumps customer loyaltyLooks at wine-searcher.com when pricing wine, having the best price on wine-searcher meaningfully drives salesUsed to do a standard markup with a case discount, but believes now having the best price upfront is key“Reliability” for MacArthurs is good customer serviceTake care of the wine (temp control, only ship when weather is good)Never makes vintage substitutionsAlways makes good on promises, even if they end up losing money on the saleBoth an importer and a retailerOnly possibly in DC and CA in the USCan buy Bordeaux direct from negociantsHave access to more fine wine from overseasCan cut out the middle man - improving profitability and reducing the price to the customerFinding their wines to direct import - have exclusivity, mostly locallyImports 6-7 full 50ft containers a yearNot allowed to sell to other distributors or retailers~60% of business from wholesalers, ~40% importedBelieves more importers will sell direct over timeBordeaux Futures/En PrimeurThe value of it can vary a lot by campaignThe only way for it to work is for wines expected to either be sold out or at higher prices when the wines are released for customers to tie up their moneyIn most years, En Primeur only works for the top 50-75 wines, which doesn’t make sense for most Petit Chateau2019 campaign - Bordelais knew people couldn’t taste during En Primeur due to Covid, Pontet Canet and Angelus came out early with low prices and set the tone - lots of interest and buying2020 campaign - “somewhat of a dud,” Bordelais took prices back up to between 2018 and 2019 levelsCalifornia FuturesStarting to go away from this modelIn the early 1980s (pre-internet), set up barrel tasting of CA wine producers, people could taste the wines and order futures at a discountE.g., Randy Dunn, Ridge, Shafer were some producersRobert Parker came and did a private tasting after the eventIt has since been taken over by the internet, mailing lists, and wines have wider distributionNow more of a social event, less about selling wineCustomer demographicsLargest revenue from males 45-54Growing population according to Google Analytics - females 35-44, more younger buyers tend to be femaleBuying habits changingThe old model - buy by the case (based on points and price)The new model (as wine prices have gone up and selection has increased) - lots of 1-2 bottle buying, trying things from all over the placePoints are less importantRestaurants are a way for consumers to explore new types of wineBourbon is a very hot categoryCommunications Email is still the #1 way to sell wineSocial media - doing more, can highlight boutique items, good for promoting local events (tastings, wine dinners)YouTube - did some video tastings for customers - got excellent feedbackWorking with a digital marketing company Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the largest wine e-commerce site globally, Wine.com has been a leader in leveraging technology to sell wine. Addie Wallace, Director of Brand Marketing, gives us insight into how wine.com leverages the marketing funnel to drive awareness and conversion, has built a differentiated offering online, and is pushing the boundaries of customization with their new personalized wine club Picked. There’s a lot to learn about the future of retail in this episode of XChateau! Detailed Show Notes: Addie’s backgroundShe started her career in financeIn business school, led the Wine & Cuisine Society and created a wine recommendation appCompleted her WSET Level 3Pitched Wine.com an idea to have a personalized wine club, which she launchedManages brand, customer insights, and subscription businesses for Wine.comWine.com’s historyIt started as evineyard.com in 1998Acquired wine.com URL and brand in 2001 when original wine.com went bankruptKey milestonesThe most extensive assortment of wine in the world, over 17,000 wines vs. ~2-3,000 in a typical wine storeLive chat functionality w/ sommeliers (started 6-7 years ago, one of the first to use the functionality) - replaces people in aisles helping you in a wine storeBuilding out physical presence - serves 42 states and DC, can reach 80% of customers in 2 daysWorking on personalization$355M in revenue in Fiscal Year 2021E-commerce trendsBelieves e-comm growth will continue, but not at the same pace in the pandemicPandemic showed people they could shop for wine online (built awareness)2016 study - showed e-comm only ~3% of alcohol shoppingWine.com core differentiatorsVariety / selection - leads to continual discoveryLive chat - people are not commissioned, only there to help you find the best winesConvenience - including StewardShip for free deliveryPersonalization - with Picked, the personalized wine club, and building more personalization into the websiteMarketing channelsUses different channels for different parts of the marketing funnelTop - get people to know the brandMiddle - get people familiar with how the brand is differentiatedBottom - use promotions to get people to convertWine.com does a lot of digital advertising - social media, affiliate marketing, search, Google shoppingEach channel is effective for different customer needsE.g., - Google Shopping - good for when customers are looking for something specificPodcasts - for educating people that they can buy wine online and get them to shop at wine.comSearch/Google Shopping - has the largest # of eyeballsHigh ROI - direct mail, the non-digital marketing Wine.com doesDiscounting / coupons - help with getting customers to convert, promotions need to be structured to attract the right audienceSocial media - has been challenging, changing regulatory landscape, privacy restrictions, and constantly changing algorithm, as well as lots of competitors using it makes it hard to be winning at it and need to evolve continuallySome marketing channels are hard to measure results - e.g., - print media (can use QR codes or promo codes to help track)New channels - spending more time on podcasts, new social platforms (e.g.,-  Snap, TikTok) don’t currently allow alcohol adsStewardShip ProgramIt started as a free shipping program, for an annual fee (currently $59/year)It gets consumers to shop more frequentlyBecoming more comprehensive, like Amazon Prime, more perks to feed the wine lifestylee.g., -  free tickets to events, both in-person and virtual (gave away 100 free tickets to James Suckling tasting events, 1:1 virtual tasting with the Gaja family)Special promotions and early access to some wines~60% of revenue is from membersDrives high retention rate for membersThe annual fee pays for itself if you buy 2 cases/year~$40/case, ~$30/6 bottles to ship normallyPicked - personalized wine clubLaunched in 2020Tell them wine preferences, get matched with a personal sommelierSelect 6 wines every 1-3 monthsNo two customers get the same thingLeverage tech to make sommelier selections more manageable and more diverse, but lots of human judgementThe sommelier writes a personal note for the winesOne sommelier could theoretically support thousands of Picked customersClub differentiationPersonal elementSelection - a lot of new discoveriesOnly sell “real” wines, no private labelsLevel of control/customization - price points, frequency, feedback, amount of red vs. whiteSome overlap w/ StewardShip but primarily targets different segmentsStewardShip - more self serve customersPicked - people who want more help in selectingOther wine.com personalization initiativesMaking the largest wine store curated just for youElevate recommendations and put them in contextUse prior purchase data, ratings, and if a wine was added to the shopping cartUser ratingsStewardShip members rate more frequentlySend emails to encourage ratingsWine.com App - users more likely to ratePicked members provide ratings to help personal sommsLeveraging technology to elevate the wine retail experienceRecommendation engines, email programsWine.com App - the store and wine encyclopedia in your pocketVirtual tastingsWine.com is likely never to go brick & mortarWould limit the selection availableWould limit personalization of experience Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. 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Beginning a series on the Future of Retail, we chat with Dave Parker, CEO of Benchmark Wine Group, on how he segments the retail wine market, the unique issues of rare wine, and emerging trends in the space.  Listen in to learn about what regions are selling well, the importance of email marketing, a mobile-first mindset, and many other topics that will shape wine retail for the coming decade.  2021 Year-End Episode Live on Clubhouse - Mark your calendars for December 9th at 12 pm Pacific time!Detailed Show Notes: Dave’s backgroundWas in high tech, bought a vineyard to be in the wine business originally1998 - started Brentwood Wine Company in Oregon, the internet’s 1st online auction house (had challenges as Oregon requires ownership of product before auctioning it)2002 -He started Benchmark Wine Group in California - CA allows someone to hold both retail and wholesale licensesWine Retail LandscapePopular Wines - sold in grocery stores, consumers want something to have with dinnerFine Wine - mostly current releases sold, buyers knowledge of wine and have brand loyaltyRare Wine (where Benchmark specializes) is not generally available, either back vintages of fine wine or ultra scarce products sold only to allocation lists. The wines need to be able to age and often cost $100+/bottle.Collectors and investors have deep knowledge of the wines, understand how they appreciate in value, and how well they age, but are  also  concerned about condition and authenticityRare Wine TrendsUsed to be classified Bordeaux dominated the marketBurgundy has emerged and appreciated in valueChampagne has also solidified its spotDuring US-EU wine tariffs on many EU wines (25%) - Champagne and Italy increased in demand (did not have tariffs)Rhone and Spanish wines emerging over timeLargest rare wine markets in the USCA and Tri-State area (NY, NJ, CT)FL, TX, and IL are also largeCollectors in every state in the countrySustainability becoming an essential topic across all consumer categoriesBenchmark Wine Group - focuses on the rare wine marketLargest selection of rare wines, ~13,000 wines with ~100,000 bottles at any given time (~70-80% of wines come from private collections)Provenance Guarantee - meticulous on how wines are inspected, and Benchmark handles all the transportationHave on-staff sommeliers and salespeople to work with clientsMargins look more like a distributor than a retailer - have to take more risk around the ability to sell the wines and more specialized labor for inspectionCan ship to 45 states - transactions take place in CA, buyer technically ships wines to themselvesBenchmark vs. auction housesBenchmark advantages - price certainty, immediate payment, prices often on the high end of auction pricesAuction disadvantages - no guarantee of sale, sale and payment could take monthsRare wine pricingAlso owns the Wine Market Journal - expert source for auction information, data from 1986, provides a baseline for selling priceTracks sales from some large retailersWine-Searcher shows asking prices vs. selling pricesTechnology & wine retailEmerging trends - leveraging AI for label scanning and wine recommendationsIn-person tastings to come back but still have virtual and hybrid experiencesBenchmark does “Raid Your Cellar” - where a sommelier talks to a winemakerNYC Wine Spectator’s Wine Experience in 2021 - hybrid event - Masterclass instructors were sometimes in person, sometimes remoteEmail marketingWill continue to be the most efficient and effectiveMore than one email/day from a retailer can be overwhelmingBenchmark does some email segmentation to reduce “spam”Segment by region - e.g., only get emails for Bordeaux, Burgundy, etc.Segment by wine age - e.g., only last 20 years of wines, not older vintagesRare wine collectors older (mostly Gen X, Baby Boomers) - still prefer emailSome younger customers (Millennials) prefer instant messaging, textUse of mobile is more important than native apps (don’t provide that much more functionality vs. mobile designed websites)Vivino - sits in-between retailer and consumer, creates a 4th or 5th tierWine ScoresCritical the higher up the price curve you go - provides a guide for consumersAdds credibility to producersAffirmation for a particular wine for a specific vintageConsumer reviews (e.g., CellarTracker, Vivino) can be used for more recent tastings vs. professional reviewersPotential for market disruptionConsolidation likely to continue - Total Wine, Costco - continue to build out more nationwide reachTechnology - wine world catching up with the rest of the worldSmall retailers - need to compete with more personalized service, which can leverage tools to be virtual nowDelivery to door, sometimes in hours or minutes in some states Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Having experienced the difference in taste from wines sourced ex-chateau versus the secondary market, Denis Houles, CEO of 1275 Collections, is on a mission to create a new wine asset class of pristine conditions wines. Denis and Erik Portanger, Head of Strategy at 1275 Collections, tell us about the industry-wide issues around provenance, particularly with transportation and storage, and how 1275 leverages technology and direct chateaux relationships to build a solution to keep the wines as if they never left the chateaux. Detailed Show Notes: Denis’ backgroundHe grew up in the south of France, fell in love with wine in BordeauxMIT engineering grad lived in Rome, got a Stanford MBA, and worked at McKinsey & Company in LondonBelieves in working in what you’re passionate about and founded Claret Club in 2003 - a private members club centered around wine, having chefs crafts food around the wine instead of vice versaErik’s backgroundA financial journalist for the Wall Street Journal in London was about to also write about personal passions, which was wineHe went to 1st Claret Club even in 2003 with Chateau Palmer and had his 1st wine epiphany1275 Collections OverviewFully documented, fully transparent way of collecting pristine wine from chateauxBased in the freeport of Geneva - wines held in bond, no sales taxes until removedPurchase directly from chateaux or negociant, sometimes get back vintages“Internet of Bottles” - NFC chips with credit card grade security, for provenance and monitoring of temperature and humidity, pairs with a mobile appData per bottle and case, only tracked while in 1275’s controlProvenance: issues with storage and transportationProvenance is more than just not being fake, but also how many hands the wine has passed through and storage conditionsFine wine often moved between warehouses in trucks - often unrefrigeratedLVMH launched its own traceability platform called AuraOctavian Vaults in the UK - requests for photos of bottles has increased ~30% each year for the last few years, highlighting the growing consumer awareness of strong provenanceProvenance premiumSome are high, e.g., DRC from Drouhin cellar sold for ~$500k/bottleHistorically, the premium is meager - ~2-3% because most wines are bought and sold by tradersPremium increasing over time - auctions and library wines sold from chateaux selling for higher premiumsTraceability solutionsPure trackingComprehensive - tracking and monitoring (temperature, humidity)eProvenance is a B2B solution for wineries and importers1275 Collections believes a fully traceable stock of wines will come1275 believes wine damage from storage/handling is a more significant issue than counterfeit winesWine StorageThere is minimal research on the impacts of storageThe more researched area is the impact of transportation  - road transportation is worse than cargo shipsLack of transparency and accountability in the industryKey things to track - temperature, temperature fluctuations (change pressure in the bottle), humidity, circulation of air (to prevent mold), lack of contaminants (free of bad smells) - mostly TCA1275 Business ModelEnd-to-end solution for people who want a great wine collection, direct from estates with technology to have full traceabilityCollections start at €25,0002% annual management fee (includes sourcing, transportation, insurance, and storage)For €100,000+ - a one-off advisory fee of €4,000 and lower management fees (1.4-1.8%)~€15M+ under management currently (October 2021) Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Building the app while on sabbatical from Microsoft in 2003, Eric LeVine, CEO and founder of CellarTracker, had been close to a one-person show until recently.  Yet, he’s built one of the most useful productivity tools for wine collectors, an engaged community of geeky wine lovers, and a respectable business that he’s now investing in to grow and take to new heights for the benefit of the CellarTracker community.  Eric’s openness and candor provide an in-depth look at how one of the leading wine platforms was founded, built, and where it’s going next. Detailed Show Notes:Eric’s background“Tech geek” to “wine geek”He was at Microsoft from 1992 - 2005; his last project was the “send error report” feature1999 - took a biking trip to Tuscany and fell in love with wine and started collectingBuilt a tool to keep track of his cellar, then let a few friends use it, which morphed a personal spreadsheet into a relational databaseEric created CellarTracker while on sabbatical from Microsoft in 2003, then in April 2004, launched it publicly and left Microsoft a few months laterCellarTracker overviewCore element - a productivity tool to catalog and manage every aspect of the wine experience (e.g., purchasing, tracking, consuming)Byproduct - “Yelp for wine” - the aggregated wisdom of the community from tasting notes, drinking windowsUser base10M unique people visit the site~750k registered users~300k active usersWine database4M wines created135M bottles in cellars9.1M tasting notes in the community + 1.3M professional tasting notesFeatures and functionsOptical recognition of labels - partners with VivinoMost used features - tasting notes (~10M visitors/year on the website, most people reading or researching the tasting notes; ~9.1M tasting notes growing ~750k / year / ~2k / day)Features collectors use - what wines do they have, when do they want to drink them, what are wines worth (the main premium feature)Wine valuations - partner with Wine Market Journal for appraisals, overlaid with what people are paying for the wines in CellarTrackerDrinking windows - updated by users, partnership with review publications to overlay their data for subscribers of their contentSurprise & Delight feature - the ability to print a restaurant-style wine listGeekiest feature - can print unique barcodes for your bottles and use a scanner to check them in and outDefault mode - creates a unique barcode for each specific bottleFor restaurants - uses same code for each wine of a particular sizeConducted research into the wine collector space~18M people in the US store wine at home / in a wine fridge~10% awareness of CellarTracker in the US~5-10% awareness of CellarTracker globallyData analyticsThey just hired the 1st data scientist several weeks ago (as of Oct 2021)They haven’t done a lot to dateUser ratings - can track/follow specific authors, most often used for older wines at auction as one of the only sources of data for older winesRichard Bazinet authored research in 2016 of an analysis of community ratings vs. professional publicationsNever specifically built tools to enhance “influencers” in the system, was anti “gamification” elements to incentivize people to write tasting notesData accuracy - has a team of 4 (some PT/ some FT) to curate the wine database and look for duplicates, use both automation and humans to have duplicate detectionBusiness model“Voluntary Payment” - one of the early “Freemium” business modelsEstablished this because the value of CellarTracker is in the active community, and the data it creates makes the platform more robust and valuableSuggested payment based on the size of collection - avg ~$57/year$40/year for $80/year for 500-999 bottles$160/year for 1,000+ bottlesThe lowest payment is $20, and some pay thousandsThe majority of revenue comes from thisSome ads, but not in the appAffiliate links with Wine-Searcher - the #2 referral source after GoogleKey differentiators of CellarTrackerCellar management - hardcore focus on scalable needs of collectorsGood engagement - attracted a set of people who keep coming backCommunity - an “authoritative” audience - more geeky people that are in the communityFocus on privacy, needs of the community, up-time, neutrality (not affiliated with retailers or other businesses)The next horizon for CellarTrackerBuilding a team - was only 3 people at the start of 2021, the goal is to be 11 by year-end (data scientists, engineers, UI designer)Upgrade & deepen the existing experience, especially mobile app - they have seen a significant shift to mobile over the last 10 years, More recommendations and automation of different scenariosConnection to industry/wineries/other parts of the wine ecosystem (no natural interfaces today)Better understand and engage with the 10M people who visit the CellarTracker website - many of whom use it as a research platformBrought on a group of angel investors to reinvest cash flow into the business Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. 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As the only fine wine end-to-end solution in the US, Vinfolio has recently launched its wine investment service, leveraging its deep expertise in the fine wine arena. Don St. Pierre, Executive Chairman, and Adam Lapierre MW, President, tell us about Vinfolio's history, how the marketplace, storage solution, and VinCellar work together, as well as get into their recent foray into wine investment. A must-listen for those intrigued with wine investment and for fine wine lovers in general. Detailed Show Notes: Don St. Pierre's background1996 - founded ASC Fine Wines w/ his father, a wine importer in China 2010 - sold ASC to Suntory, stayed with the company until 20142015 - got connected with Vinfolio and bought 33% of business with a friendAdam Lapierre's backgroundMainly on the supply side (worked at a winery in the Finger Lakes, at an importer)Became an MW in 2013 and moved to the buying side, working for Lidl, a major retailer of wineJoined Vinfolio in 2018, became President in 2020Vinfolio's historyStarted by Steve Backman, a software entrepreneur, and wine collector, in 2004 - he wanted to create a cellar management tool and marketplace to store and sell wineBuilt VinCellar - cellar management tool, started at a similar time to Cellar Tracker (Eric Levine), the difference is Steve wanted a more end-to-end solution for collectors vs. a more utility tool for Cellar TrackerBuilt VinFolio - marketplace and warehouse storage business2009 - Vinfolio went bankrupt in Global Financial Crisis, clients came in and took over the business Vinfolio is an end-to-end solution for wine collectors - buying, storing, and selling wine, focusing on the niche of fine wine coupled with technologySimilar business model to some UK businesses (e.g., Berry Bros & Rudd, Farr Vintners)Most people hear about Vinfolio through retail/e-commerce today, but that may shift as VinCellar is re-built and re-launchedVinfolio MarketplaceA fixed price auction modelUses proprietary tools that determine recommended market price for collectors to sell atStorage clients use VinCellar to put wines for sale, or others can use the full-service option w/ the cellar acquisition team (every bottle on the marketplace has been inspected with it being rare for wines to be sent back)Wine sourcingCollector Marketplace (⅓ of wine sales) - from individual collectorsProducer Marketplace (⅔ of wine sales) - from a global network of merchants (e.g., negociants), direct from producers, and US importers/distributors (~15-20% of sourcing)Try to clearly differentiate between the sourcing typesAdvantages of the Vinfolio marketplaceFor Buyers - the breadth of wine at their fingertips, more clarity around the asking price vs. other auctionsFor Sellers - realized prices often higher than live auctions (except for very rare wines)Wine StorageA vital part of the business is to create ready supply for the marketplaceIt makes VinCellar an essential part of the businessConvenience for clients to get deliveryA premium servicePricing ~$5/case/monthInventory is cataloged and received at the bottle levelClients can take delivery or sell wines at the bottle levelWine Investment ServiceIt started because Vinfolio got unsolicited inquiries around wine as an asset class for investmentRetail marketplace helps Vinfolio understand where market demand isInvestment customers are mainly new customers vs. traditional clients that are more passionate wine collectorsVinfolio investment processMin investment size = $25,000 - in order to have a diversified portfolioPurchase in original wood cases (OWC) mostlyUnderstand client's interestsFocus mainly on blue-chip / investment grade wines, the foundation of every portfolio is Bordeaux"Stock picking" - look at buying opportunities and allocate portfolio across current and mature vintagesPut wines in storage - mainly in the UK under bond (as it's easier to sell)Key benefits of Vinfolio wine investmentBuying side - acquire below market (charge landed cost (which includes shipping from the UK) + 6% commission, which is usually 10-20% below US retailer pricing)Selling side - uses fixed auction model, 12% commission for the sale (lower than standard commission rates)Storage fees consistent with w/ Vinfolio storage feesInvestors get access to special wines, similar to private clientsVinfolio has an informal list of producers with high demand, leveraging experience of the day to day businessUses Vin-dex - Vinfolio proprietary pricing algorithm - provides a daily market price for winesHas 10 years of historical auction dataWine-Searcher pricing - takes in ~5,000 web calls/dayHistoric Vinfolio sale pricesAlso a member of Liv-exThe investment service launched a couple of months ago (as of Oct 2021) - ~$0.75M assets under management vs. ~$250M total under in Vinfolio storageInvestment differentiatorsTransparency of process, particularly rationale for wine selectionsInvestment strategy - diversification with multiple cases of wineExperience in the fine wine marketBig initiatives for VinfolioVinCellar overhaul - orienting data around investment as wellE-commerce platform re-launch - transitioning to a new platform with more refined, personalized user experiencesHiring more quality people to service clientsCarrying more inventory to have more wine available Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. 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As the wine investment business leader with $275M of assets under management, Cult Wines has been a pioneer in the space for over a decade.  Born out of a passion for wine, Tom Gearing, CEO and founder of Cult Wines, tries to balance the head and heart elements of investing in wine with actively managed portfolios by CFAs and experiences with some of the top wineries of the world.  Tom shares all the details and great examples of why people should consider investing in wine, the Cult Wine investment process, and where Cult Wines is heading.  Detailed Show Notes: Tom’s backgroundfounded Cult Wines w/ his brother in universityFather was an investment banker with a passion for wine, especially BurgundyTraveled a lot to Burgundy as a childStarted an import company - Burgundy CellarThe early 2000s - started Financial Wines - an online price transparency tool, but ran out of funding after the dot com crash2007-2008 - during Financial Crisis - people looking for alternative investments - Tom realized wine was a safe haven and should be more investableBased in the UKWhere the Wine trading is very well establishedThe UK has tax free status for wine trading for anyone in the world - can keep wine in a tax free warehouse where you don’t pay taxes (sales tax, VAT) upfrontAsian collectors used London to build collections before shipping itBrexit impact - mostly operational (shipping is a lot slower) vs. tax,Why invest in wine?Those with a passion for wine - Build a fine wine collection, can drink it, or sell it in the futureThose not passionate about wine - wine prices are more consistent and tend to go up in value because the supply goes down over time (people drink it), tends to be insensitive to financial market fluctuations (went up in value in 2009) - suitable for diversificationVs. art/cars/other alternative investments, wine is more attractive:Accessibility - lower barriers to entry - hundreds or thousands of dollars for wine vs. millions for fine art/carsLiquidity - better than other alternative assetsPrice transparency - more trading publicly and more visibility (though, still not as good as it could be)Wine investment serves as a storage/aging function for the fine wine market with pristine provenance and authenticityCult Wines OverviewNot a retailer - acquires wines on behalf of clientsThree warehouses - London, Paris, BordeauxEU changed storage laws in 2016 to hold wines without paying VAT (similar to the UK)Have own warehouse and staff to ensure provenance and authenticity of wines (e.g., caught heat damage on a shipment of Scarecrow wine and made a claim with freight forwarder immediately)Has own photography studio and processes 250 cases/day, and photos are immediately uploaded for inspectionInvestment processHas a managed portfolio service (min $10k investment)Gather client objectives - risk profile, investment duration (3-5 years, 5-10 years, 10+ years), how wine fits into their entire portfolioBuild a personalized, customized portfolioStore wine in physical warehouses (clients own bottles or cases, the physical asset b/c it’s hard to have liquidity for funds where people have fractional ownership of a fund)Get access to investment platformTop-down investment process - actively managed portfoliosCult Wines has a Chief Investment Officer (CIO), and all portfolio managers are Chartered Financial Analysts (CFA)Constantly reviewing the market and making asset allocation decisionsE.g., Trump Tariffs on European wine - team thought Bordeaux would go down in price, proposed reducing allocations from 40% -> 30% and re-allocate to Italy, which looked undervalued already and had no tariffs; in 6 months, AUM of Bordeaux went from 40%->36% and Italy 6%->13% and Bordeaux prices went down 2-3% and Italy up 12%Assets Under Management (AUM) - $275MUK/Europe is the biggestAsia nextAmericas (smallest, but newest)FeesAnnual management fee - starts at 2.95%/year (with $10k investment), 2.75% (with $35k investment), 2.5% ($150k investment), 2.25% ($500k investment)Benefits - portfolio allocation, customization of the portfolio, investment platform access, customer support, storage & insurance, trading on the platform (no feeds on trading to align Cult Wines interests with clients)Higher tiers get more experiential benefits - access to producers, client-only events, educational activities, vineyard visitsWine Buying35% direct from winery/new vintages65% secondary market - from existing investors, trusted suppliers/brokers, and trading platforms (e.g., Liv-Ex)Wine Selling / Delivery~20% of wines have been delivered to people, can ship to 45 states, clients pay delivery feesSome clients use Cult wines as a global cellar - e.g., a Japanese collector sent wines to the US when he was going to be there to visitWine sales channelsCult Wines buys for other clients - for wines they believe will appreciate moreTrade team - sells to other wine merchants, brokers, traders, importersRetail/Direct to Consumer - listed on Wine-Searcher and Cult Wines website for saleTeam - ~100 people totalInfrastructure based in UK (including ~24 tech and product folks)Regional offices - relationship managers, portfolio manager (all CFA level; Hong Kong, Singapore, 2 in London, New York)8 in North America (3 in Canada, 5 in New York)Company’s Growth1st 5 years - establishing proof of concept2nd 5 years:2014 - acquired competitor, Premier Cru Fine Wine Investments, doubled AUM and business2016 - opened Hong Kong office2018 - opened Singapore office2014-2019 - $7 -> $50Mm in AUMNext 5-year phase (18 months in) - “reborn, evolution”Fine wine investment is limited by market inefficiencies: accessibility, liquidity, price transparencyFocused on projects that will improve inefficiencies and that will naturally make the wine investment space growTypes of wine for investmentOpportunistic trading - capturing inefficiencies in pricing - there may be opportunities to buy in one region and sell in another at a profitBenchmark wines - based on scores (with critics weighted differently by the impact), vintages, the value of an established baseline of wines (e.g., Bordeaux, Burgundy)Finding new opportunities - wines with high quality that have a good chance of increasing in value, e.g., Pierre Gonon St Joseph - was 30-40 euros 3-4 years ago, now $150/bottleAuction houses - don’t work with them muchHard to get certainty of provenanceA lot more mature/older wines which have already gone up a lot in valueCosts are prohibitive (10-20% on a transaction)But the best place to get the highest/best prices (e.g., 1945 DRC from the Drouhin cellar got ~$500k / bottle)Next for Cult WinesLaunching new platform for managed investment serviceBespoke, public blockchain for security, authenticity, and speed of secure transactionsContinue to build North American offices (opened Spring 2021) in Canada and New York Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. 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A serial entrepreneur, Anthony Zhang, was pondering alternative investments and fell into wine.  With superior returns to the S&P 500, less volatility, and low correlation with the stock market, wine investment seemed like a perfect category to democratize with technology.  Anthony tells us why people should consider investing in wine, the Vinovest investment process, and how wine investment may impact the wine industry.  All with a mission of lowering the cost and barriers for the average consumer to invest in wine. Detailed Show Notes: Anthony’s backgroundHe grew up around the world, childhood in Beijing and Hong KongWent to USC for college and founded EnvoyNow, a food delivery service for college campuses with investment from Mark Cuban and Peter ThielWas considering alternative investments and was attracted to wine over others (e.g., art, cars)Wine investing challengesHard to get access to the winesFees for auctions, shipping, and storageInvestment thesis - fine wine has outperformed the S&P 500 over the last 20 years, has half the volatility, and has a low correlation with the stock market (i.e., is a good hedge); wine also has a decreasing supply over time, which enables appreciation over timeVinovest investment processChoose how much to invest, how long to invest in (e.g., 5 vs. 20 years), and your risk appetite (e.g., blue-chip wines like 1st growths or Grand Cru Burgundy or “emerging markets” like newer winemakers, ownership changes, etc.…) => this helps determine which wines to invest inInvest in whole bottles or cases, not fractional bottles or fractions of a portfolioAcquire, store, and insure winesVinovest can help sell wines as wellFees - all-inclusive 2.85% / year asset management feeAccess/procurement of winesShipping and wine storageInsuranceAverage bottle price ~$200-600/bottleAcquire wines below retail by buying direct from negociants or wineriesCurrently managing ~$50M (as of Sept 2021)Can take physical delivery of wines - but often stored in Europe, so can arrange for batch delivery with others to reduce shipping costs (from hundreds of dollars to Valuing wine and liquidityVinovest plugs into major wine exchanges (e.g., Liv-ex, Wine Owners, Cavex, Berry Bros, Bordeaux Index) to gather real-time sales dataSelling wine - only invest in whole bottles and cases, so there are more places to sell to, including retailers and restaurants. Most deals are done offline Good liquidity for 5-15-year-old winesNeed at least a 5 year time horizon to realize returnsInvestable winesNeed scarcity (not available widely), track record of improving with age, and brand equity (a sought after, globally recognized brand)Regional mix - ~25-35% Bordeaux, #2 = Burgundy, #3 = Italy (Super Tuscans, Barolo), small amounts of select producers in California, Chile, Germany; vintage Champagne having a resurgence (e.g. - 1996, 2002 vintages)Algorithm for determining wines backtested back to the 1980sFake/counterfeit winesProvenance/fraud are the most significant risk for newcomers => Vinovest’s insurance company inspects and authenticates the winesVinovest only buys in-bond so can track the previous ownersKey players in the wine investment spaceMainly in Asia and EuropePrivate Banks have wine funds, UK (Vin-X, Wine-ex, Cult Wines)Vinovest differentiation - more technology-driven, collect more data and aggregate it to create automated investment strategiesTo address wine funds that fail - each investor owns their wines with an audit trail that shows the wine is theirs Wine investment impact on the wine industryWine prices may increase as more players enter the investment marketClimate change is  increasing prices through lower yieldsIt won’t impact commercial wines (e.g., $10-20 bottles), but fine winesAuction houses - the modern investor isn’t okay with paying 20-25% premiumsRegulationUS - wine is classified as a collectible, like art or rare coins, and is subject to capital gains tax when sold (self-reported)Int’l - some countries, like the UK, France, and parts of Asia, wine is classified as a “wasting asset” with an expiration date (often 50 years) and is capital gains tax-freeNext for Vinovest - want to continue to educate consumers on the benefits of wine investing, intends to create a low entry point to make wine investing more accessible Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With droughts, floods, hail, wildfires, and more challenging how wine is made, Familia Torres and Jackson Family Wines are leading the way to tackle climate change in the wine industry by founding the International Wineries for Climate Action.  Founded in 2019, the group already has 22 members and continues to expand its reach and impact.  Listen in as Josep Maria Ribas Portella, Climate Change Director for Familia Torres, and Julien Gervreau, VP Sustainability at Jackson Family Wines, tell us about the impacts of climate change, how to measure GHG in the wine industry, and ways wineries are working to improve their emissions.  A mission-critical effort for the entire wine industry, listen in to learn more! Detailed Show Notes: Josep’s & Familia Torres’ backgroundClimate Change Director, an energy engineer, has been with Familia Torres for five yearsTorres - 150-year history, 5th generation running the companyClimate change dept reports directly to Miguel Torres (CEO), who got passionate about the subject after watching An Inconvenient Truth with Al GoreJulien & Jackson Family Wines’ (“JFW”) backgroundVP Sustainability at JFWJFW is a large, family-owned company, best known for Kendall Jackson and La CremaIn the 2nd generation, the company is very passionate about climate change2008 - Torres and JFW came together on climate change and the need to measure greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissionsInternational Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA)Founded by Torres and JFW in 2019~2010 - Miguel Torres tried to start something similar in Spain, but it didn’t work outDeciding to partner w/ JFW and make it international led to the successful launch of the IWCAIWCA tries to standardize emissions measurement and communicationsThe wine industry is not a significant contributor to climate change, but agriculture is an emerging area of opportunity, and wine can represent agriculture more broadlyIWCA is 1st agriculture group to join the UN’s “Race to Zero” initiativeImpact of climate change on the wine industryThe impacts are being felt globally (Torres)Advanced ripening of grapes (leading to higher alcohols)More extreme weather - prolonged droughts in Spain, flooding, late hail, hydric stress (leading to worse wildfires), late-season heat spikesMeasuring GHG emissions - Scope 1-3 definitionScope 1 - direct emissions - e.g., fuel burnt in winery vehicles, gas used in boilers, CO2 usageScope 2 - indirect emissions from purchase of electricityScope 3 - indirect emissions from purchased goods and services - e.g., packaging, logistics, waste disposal of bottles, etc.…Scope 1&2 are ~20-25% of GHG emissions, Scope 3 - 75-80%GHG impact of a bottle of wineUse World Resource Institute’s GHG Protocol and ISO14064 inventory management processFor IWCA members (as of Oct 2021) - the average bottle of wine has a 1.61 CO2e/L of GHG emissionsRange - 0.75 - ~10 => larger wineries tend to be lower, smaller wineries tend to be higherGHG reduction measuresShipping is ~15% of carbon footprint for Torres => using railroad when possible, ship in bulk (for every 1 bulk shipper sent, it replaces 4 containers, saving 3 shipments)Electricity - many wineries installing onsite renewable energy, primarily solarHarvest is 2.5 months/year but uses ~50% of electric consumptionPackaging - ~25% of total GHG footprintGlass is ~20% of the total GHG footprintJFW - reduced  the weight of bottles for KJ and La Crema - saved ~3-4% of total GHG emissions and saved moneyReduce weight bottles have more recycled content in the glass, reduce emissions of glass making process (e.g., Furnace of the Future), bloggers starting to weigh bottles before tastingTorres - bottles down to 400g, can’t go much lower, or bottles will break on the bottling line or with consumersPotential future of re-utilizing bottlesRegenerative farming - could potentially lead to carbon sequestration in the soil, science still in progressIWCA Mission & PurposeDecarbonize the wine industry as fast as possible3 membership classes - Gold, Silver, Applicant (committed to joining)RequirementsCommit to Net Zero by 2050 with intermediate reductions by 2030 (all)Submit baseline GHG emissions inventory, verified by 3rd party audit (all)Min 20% onsite renewable energy (Gold)Constant reductions year over year (Gold)Do not recognize purchase of external offsets in reductionsTarget membershipGoal - 20 wineries by Nov 2021Oct 2021 - 22 wineriesMiguel Torres long-term target - 100 wineriesFees - a sliding scale by volumeFlat fee - €4,000 / yearVariable fee - €0.01 / case produced / year, cap of 600,000 casesMax fee = €10,000 / yearMeasurement & verification paid by wineries themselvesReleased a GHG calculator to enable wineries to catalog emissions data on their ownSmaller wineries join (there are members as small as a few thousand cases) to participate in something bigger and to amplify their voiceUpcoming for the IWCAOct 21st - 1st Member Report launch - includes all GHG inventories from all members, which will be made publicThe website will be overhauledFriends of IWCA category to be launchedThe initial stage of working groups launching Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. 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Instituted in a different time, post Prohibition, the 3-Tier system of alcohol distribution and sales in the US creates inefficiencies in matching inventory with demand.  Tom Wark, Executive Director of the National Association of Wine Retailers (“NAWR”), founder of Wark Communications, and writer of Fermentation -  the Daily Wine Blog educates us on the history, key issues, and challenges of navigating the 3-Tier system for wine consumers to get the wines they want.  The NAWR is on a mission to modernize the regulatory landscape for alcohol and bring choice to consumers. Listen in to Tom’s decades of war stories on wine regulation! Detailed Show Notes: Tom’s backgroundHe grew up in Northern California and got interested in wine at an early ageHe got a Masters in HistoryWorked in wine PR, then started his firm - Wark CommunicationsStarted Fermentation -  the Daily Wine Blog, in 2004 - wrote a lot about regulation, was pro-DTC (direct-to-consumer)Approached by the board of National Association of Wine Retailers (“NAWR”) to be Executive Director (2008)NAWRMembers all independent fine wine retailers (e.g., K&L, Zachy’s, Grapes, the Wine Company)>100 members nationwideEstimate ~500 retailers actively doing e-commerce and interstate shipping~400,000 alcohol licenses nationallyWine Retail SpaceGrocery stores, convenience stores, drug stores, big-box retailers - mostly Small independent retailers => focus of NAWRMulti-state retailers (e.g., Total Wine, BevMo)DTC from wineriesKey issues for fine wine retailersPrimary - want to serve customers where they areAmazon could get into the wine space w/ Whole Foods alcohol licenses and ship to anyone locally -> The only way for independent retailers to compete is to do interstate shipping16 states currently allow interstate shippingWine.com has retail licenses in many states to ship to most statesSecondary issue - procurement of inventoryRetailers must buy from in-state wholesalers who have a limited selectionRetailers desire to purchase directly from importers or wineries no matter where they are to broaden their selectionNAWR mission - to modernize the regulatory landscape for alcoholMost regulations  were written in the 1930s-1950sAlcohol is more regulated than tobaccoE.g., if a brewery wants to sell direct to consumer, it needs to sell to a wholesaler and then repurchase it to sell to the consumerFranchise laws - binds producer to a wholesaler for life, even if the wholesaler is no longer supporting the brandAdvocate litigation for change - e.g., states that allow their own retailers to ship to other states but don’t allow out-of-state retailers to ship in, believes that violates the dormant commerce clause of the ConstitutionLobbying, education of retailers, cultivation of allies (very few - consumers and media; most against - distributors, non-online retailers (believe it will create more competition), wineries (indifferent), importers (were not active supporters))The 3-Tier system in the US1930’s - post-prohibition (1933) - each state had to regulate alcohol, and each did it a bit differentlyTwo main concerns - prevent tied house laws and organized crimeTied house - producers controlled retailers => got bars to do sketchy things and promote high alcohol consumption3-tiers - producer, wholesaler, retailerRetailers must buy from wholesalersStopping tied house - wineries can’t own retailersHistorically - lots of wholesalers competing to represent producersToday - 10,000+ wineries, fewer wholesalers -> wholesalers act as gatekeepers, not required to bring producers in and shut out small producers who aren’t worth the time and effort to represent themCA producers and importers can sell direct to retailers/restaurantsWholesalers are very powerful - contribute meaningfully ($10M+/year) to state political campaigns, 10x more than wineries and retailers combinedEach state has different 3-tier regulation, creates an enormous compliance burdenIL - wineries can sell directly to retailers only if they produce CA/WA - all direct sales from producers to retailers/restaurantsE-commerce~10-12% of wine retail today, includes Drizly, Instacart, & grocery deliveryShipping far smaller than deliveryTo be successful, retailers need to engage consumers digitally - cultivate an email list, create an experience for customersChallengesGetting wine to consumers (illegal to ship to many states)Hard to make time to do outreach to legislators, regulators while running a small businessRestaurants become retailers during the Covid pandemicThe 1980s & 1990s - number of wineries exploded, they needed to sell directly to consumers since distributors wouldn’t represent them, became legal a precedent with the 2005 Supreme Court Granholm case - which specified if states allowed in-state wineries to ship to consumers, it must allow out-of-state wineries to ship into the stateTaxesIf states allow retailers to ship in, retailers are required to remit local sales taxes and have a permitSoftware systems set up for wineries also can cover retailers (e.g., ShipCompliant, Avalara), makes compliance easierPure online players - wine.com, Naked Wines => valuable for showing consumers what can be accessed online and the experience of online retailWhat needs to change?  The Supreme court needs to tell states not to discriminate (2019 case - Tennessee vs. Thomas - can’t discriminate against retailers) Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. 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Accidentally filling the big shoes of Michael Broadbent and Steven Spurrier, Jane Anson, wine critic, author of Inside Bordeaux, founder of janeanson.com, and former Bordeaux correspondent for Decanter for nearly 20 years, is one of the world’s foremost experts on the wines, history, and region of Bordeaux.  Having lived in Bordeaux since 2003, Jane shares her deep insights into how Bordeaux became as famous as it is, how the systems of La Place de Bordeaux and En Primeur work, and the complex terroir of the region.  She gives us insight into the content of janeanson.com and how it will be a unique look into Bordeaux, focus on the drinkability of the wines, and many of the unique features to be released. Detailed Show Notes: Jane’s backgroundLiving in Bordeaux since 2003, she thought she’d only be there for 1-2 yearsJournalist backgroundDecanter’s Bordeaux correspondent for nearly 20 years, wrote a weekly column since 2014, the sole Bordeaux wine critic since the 2016 vintageShe took a tasting aptitude class at the enology school in BordeauxShe chose Bordeaux because it’s still a big city (lived in London before), 2 hours from the Spanish border, 2 hours from ParisJaneanson.comCan be accessed by inside-bordeaux.com or janeanson.comSaw a gap in the market for a website specializing in Bordeaux vs. ~4-5 for BurgundyValue propositionNo outside investment, no advertisingFocus on drinkabilityCovers all wines that sell through La Place de Bordeaux (including the ~90 wines that are not Bordeaux wines)Regular verticals, en primeur, in bottle reportsTwo weeks of trips during the yearOne week - for high-end collectorsOne week - “free” aimed at young sommeliers, people that want to work in the wine trade to showcase the dynamic side of BordeauxLaunch specialsa translation of memoirs of a WWII soldier in BordeauxVertical of tiny producer LaFleur Saint-Jean - lies in between Lafleur, Lafleur Petrus, and Petrus in Pomerol only sells direct, sells out immediately, had never done a vertical before1% for the Planet - 1% of revenue goes towards environmental charitiesBordeaux’s rise and fallKey advantagesA port city, far enough inland to be a safe port12th century - duchy of the English crown, wines were sold in the London marketThe system of chateaux, merchants, negociants was built for exportTerroir is very complex (which may be why it’s not talked about much), e.g., of the 61 wines in the 1855 Medoc classification, all of them are on two specific gravel terraces (#3 & 4) of the six terraces of the MedocMostly clay underneath with gravel on topLots of micro terroirsSt Emilion - has pure limestone, clay, and gravelIssues that have hurt BordeauxEvery vintage is not great, though Bordelais often say thatFrustrate people based on the prices they ask (e.g., 2009/2010 vintages - many people who bought lost money)La Place de BordeauxBusiness to business, sell to merchants that sell to consumersVirtual marketplace - enables access to 10,000 clients globallyIncludes chateaux, brokers, and negociantsSells wine into every level of the food chain - has specialists for on-trade, off-trade, hotels, corner shops, supermarkets, etc.…It doesn’t build your brand but makes sure it gets everywhereGood at giving the illusion of scarcityCan use La Place for specific markets - La Place has expertise in the Asian markets (e.g., China, Vietnam, Japan)Very rare to have exclusivity for negociantsDownsides of La PlaceCreates a very competitive environment - low-end wines compete with each otherProtects Bordeaux well; merchants need to buy in bad years to get allocations in good yearsNo direct contact with consumers for wineriesLess effective for small guys that aren’t established brandsNon-Bordeaux wines selling on La PlaceGone from nothing to 60 wines five years ago to 90 wines in 2021Provides access to global markets - shows wines next to the great wines of BordeauxOpus One - the 2nd non-Bordeaux wine on La Place (after Almaviva), sold wines since 2004, opened an office in BordeauxForced negociants to share client lists (created more transparency)1st Champagne just joined - Clos des Goisses (Philipponnat) - only 600 bottles of 1996 late releaseNo Burgundy producers (not enough volume, no need for it, and the rivalry between Burgundy and Bordeaux)Barriers to joining La Place - need enough volume to get everywhere, need to do your own brand-building work, and meeting customersAn increase in overseas wines has hurt smaller Bordeaux estates -> negociants have limited budgets and drop themMarketing Bordeaux - unlikely to be another 1855 like classification, St Emilion’s classification every ten years is constantly litigated, some marketing organizations: Pomerol Seduction - 8-10 Pomerol estates that band togetherBordeaux Oxygen - young producers, targeting younger audiences, no longer activeEn PrimeurDue to export focus, Bordeaux always had samples shipped off overseasFrom the early 1980s, Parker injected excitement into En Primeur systemPeople used to make money, and now they are often better off waiting until wines are in bottle with certain exceptions (e.g., tiny production Pomerols)No longer has the same sense of urgencyTranche system - release a small amount of wine at one price, then release more later at higher pricesE.g., 2010 1st growths came out at €600/bottle (these people made money), final tranche at €1,200/bottle (these people lost money) -> destroyed interest in en primeur in the Chinese marketnon-Bordeaux wines price more consistently than Bordeaux winesLatour dropping out of en primeurSaid they wanted to store wines and release them when best for consumersStill sold to negociants / La PlaceDon’t1980’s know if this has worked better or notChateau Palmer - sells 50% en primeur, 50% ten years later Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. 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Library Release: Originally aired as Episode 5 in June of 2020.  In one of our original episodes, Robert and Peter discuss how competitive the wine market is, how wine scores used to differentiate wines from each other, but do that less today, and the use of wine scores has evolved over time.  This episode provides another data point for the conversation around the evolution of the wine critic, as discussed in episodes 61 - 64.  Detailed Show Notes: Wine scores were the traditional method of differentiating a wine brandThe wine landscape is getting more competitive and crowded, # of wine brands (as of 2019): >1,000 in Napa valley~4,000 in California~10,000 in the US~300,000 globallyIn Luxury Wine Marketing, Peter did an analysis of 100 point scores in Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate: 1995 - 14 100 pointers2005 - 332015 - 116In 20 years, there were 8x more 100 point scores, making them less remarkable than in the pastHowever, the same percentage of wines (0.4%) got 100 points in 2015 as in 1995, as 8x more wines were reviewed by The Wine AdvocateHow wineries use critic scoresIn the past - wineries leveraged the followers of wine critics, gaining new customers20+ years ago, thousands of buyers would flock to wineries with a 100 point score; today, that number is in the hundredsToday - wineries use scores to promote and market their wines - they are used as a validation of quality, not necessarily dependant on a specific wine criticSpinouts of wine criticsMany critics have gone independent - Jeb Dunnuck (guest of Episode 64), Antonio Galloni (Vinous), James Suckling, Jeannie Cho Lee, Jancis Robinson - making the field more crowded than everIt has become harder to follow a single critic than in the pastWineries need to build their brandsE.g., Philippe Guigal once said, “we don’t do marketing” - and is able to do that because Guigal has already built their brand in the trade with over 20 Robert Parker 100 point scores -> this type of marketing may not be as effective todayBrands need to have wine quality as a baseline and more than scores to sell effectivelyCritics leveraging scores to promote themselves - some critics may give higher scores to be the top score that is used to promote the wine by retailers and wineries, increasing consumers awareness of their own brand and media channelCrowdsourced scores (e.g., CellarTracker, Delectable, Vivino)Scores are a snapshot in time and will change over timeIt gives the ability to follow individuals and learn their palateNot yet influencing the wine trade (as of early 2020)It helps bring another touchpoint of brand awareness to wineriesWine Berserkers - has had an impact on wine sales, at least a few dozen signups for mailing lists of wineries Peter has worked atLessons for wine brands: Need to build the brand, having high wine quality and high scores are the baselineFigure out the marketing channels that work for your brand and double down on themThe cost of customer acquisition is going up with the fracturing of wine criticism and the rise of crowdsourced wine scores Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the wine reviewer for Burgundy for The Wine Advocate and a small producer of Burgundy himself, William Kelley has a deep and insightful perspective on Burgundy.  We discuss how Burgundy became “without substitute” and why “all roads lead to Burgundy,” the rapid escalation of both vineyard and wine prices, and how what was once very contracting landholdings are now consolidating again.  History, economics, geology, and terroir all come together in this episode of XChateau! Detailed Show Notes: Listen to the beginning of Episode 62 for background information on WilliamBurgundy as vignerons vs Bordelais châteauxWilliam believes this is an illusion - historically, Burgundy vineyards were owned by the nobility and the churchToday - LVMH, AXA, and rich, wealthy people own many of the domaines and vineyardsBordeaux outside the Cru Classe are much more modest in natureThe French land reforms of 1792 (during the French Revolution) broke up large tracts of land -> led to a “morcellation of parcels”Led to emphasis on each small parcel of land and its impactCreated the ability to see the human element of winemaking (two people making the wine from the same vineyard) and the human impact on terroirMetayage system - born in Beaujolais, a form of “sharecropping” where people take half the fruit in exchange for farming the land, popular in Burgundy where people own small parcels of land and often don’t live thereHigh death/inheritance taxes, which are assessed based on the value of the land lead to more vineyard sales and end up with more consolidation of land holdings, particularly into businesses that don’t have to pay death taxesBurgundy as the top global winegrowing regionThe wines are good/high qualityThey pair well with a lot of food and are very versatile (vs. the Medoc)Are a social signifier - wine collectors can “one-up” others by mastering the complexities of Burgundy more than Bordeaux or any other regionGrand Cru vineyards are tiny and limited - sends the prices skyrocketing (e.g., Domaine d’Auvenay Aligote now sells for $2,500 / bottle)Bordeaux mismanaged the emerging market of China with the 2010 en primeur pricing, similar to what Hennessy and Cognac did in China, destroying the marketValue of Burgundy landHigh prices partially driven by tax write-offs for any losses, owners get the wine lifestyle “for free”Believes land prices and wine prices will continue to escalateDisconnection between land and wine pricesIn the 17th century, there used to be a saying that the value of a vineyard should equal 3 years of production - this is way different todayE.g., a famous Chablis producer’s Les Clos magnum sells at €80 from the domaine, but $2,000 in the US -> lots of other people making money on the wine outside of the winery“No end in sight” to price increases for Burgundy, wine is still a relatively inexpensive luxury good (vs. cars, watches, etc.…)Climate changeNot as bad as some people think, bad weather events also occurred in the 19th centuryToday there are more viticultural techniques to combat climate change (e.g., canopy management, etc..)Price increases also more than offset the volume decreasesThe Micro-negociantPurchasing fruit is expensive - ~€3-5,000 per barrel for village wines, €550-600 for Chiroubles If some negociants get the attention of investors, they can acquire land and become domainesMore expensive to produce negociant wine vs. domaine wineGrowers in Burgundy take the yield risk (the classic arrangement is negociants buy the fruit by the barrel)A seller’s market - need good relationships with growers, hard for outsiders to get good fruit Negociants have the ability to make lower appellations/vineyards more popular - e.g., Arnoud Ente Meursault La Seve du Clos is a lesser site, but Ente has elevated itDomaine vs. MaisonConsumers still put a lot of stock by it, but boundaries are blurringE.g., PYCM - started as negociant, rolled in family vineyards, but don’t state “Domaine” anywhere, the idea being that all wines are worthy of the brandPrice should be driven by quality, not hierarchy (e.g., some Aligote more expensive than Grand Cru Puligny)Brand expansions can’t be diluted because of the vineyard hierarchy - the Grand Crus are still high quality and drive brand reputationThe Future of BurgundyViticulture - would like to see every site in Burgundy farmed like a Grand Cru.  William wants to break glass ceilings in every appellationWinemaking - people extracting less and less, flirting with natural wine movement, lighter, softer styles of red Burgundy more popular, longer elevage is getting more fashionable (and is rooted in history - used to do 2-3 years elevage because it was the only way to clarify the wine)Price escalation impacts on other wine regions - “there is no substitute (for Burgundy),” people will look further afield, but “all roads lead to Burgundy”Insular nature of Burgundy changing - the new generation of owners are from New York, Macau, Shanghai, and Hong KongAdvice to the new generation of producers - taste the great wines of the world, including older benchmark winesChanging leadership of domaines - though marketed as a good thing, there’s a lot of pressure for the next generation of a famous domain, and that tends towards being more conservative and listening to consultants vs. trying something newM&A - “everyone wants to buy as much land as they can”; don’t see a lot of people wanting to go global, there’s still ample price escalation in Burgundy Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. 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Breaking into the US market for alcohol has always been hard.  Archaic rules such as the 3-tier system and differing regulations by state make it a complex web of rules and regulations to be in compliance.  The increasing consolidation of the distributor channel has made it even harder for smaller players to enter.  MHW's goal is to make that simpler, giving producers the ability to enter the market and take control of their own destiny.  They provide outsourced importation, distribution, and back-office / compliance services so their clients can grow and execute their sales & marketing plan.  Listen in as Gabe Barkley, CEO of MHW, gives us a rundown of how they do this and how it compares to traditional importation and distribution.  Detailed Show Notes: MHW backgroundLeader in import, distribution, and back-office services for wine, spirits, and beer (beverage alcohol)Founded in 1934Objective: enable rapid growth of new producers and importers for the US and EU marketsPlays mostly in the import and distribution tier of the 3-tier system in the US (3 tiers = producer, distributor, retailer; import being in-between producer and distributor)Has wholesale licenses in 4 markets - NY, NJ, CA, & FLGabe’s backgroundPassion for wine started when he lived in Rome in collegeWorked in wine retail after collegeLeft wine for consulting (Accenture, Deloitte)Helped Kevin Sidders launch Vinconnect (listen to E51 for details)Partnered w/ PE Fund post business school to partner w/ MHW (4 years ago)MHW Core ServicesProvides the “pipes” for selling into the US and EU, does not buy and sell the wines like a traditional importer/distributorMain Services: Certificate of Label Approval (“COLA”) - winery or client’s name on back label “imported by” not MHWRegister brands for sale in each marketTax reportingCompliance requirementsLogistics - pay taxes, customs clearance, duties, warehousingFulfillment of orders to wholesalers or retailers in wholesale marketsInvoice retailers and collect paymentNot a single boxed service, tailor services for each marketClientsTheme: they want to invest in growth in the US & EU marketsThey cover wine, beer, and spirits4 years ago - 40% spirits, 40% wine, 20% beer2021 - 50% spirits, 45% wine, 5% beerServes both domestic and international clientsDomestic - outsource compliance and logistics for Work with more family wineriesEarly days - main clients were new entrants into the market and more spiritsToday - shifted more to wine and larger producers - want to make sure sales & marketing investment are spent how they want it spentExamples: Armand de Brignac (“Ace of Spades”)Carolina Wine BrandsJean-Louis ChaveHypothetical - winery targeting NY market entry - MHW helps bring the product over, the owner comes and open accounts, MHW takes orders and fulfills accountsHypothetical - the winery has an opportunity with a large national retailer to be in 30 states - MHW brings product over and delivers to wholesalers or direct to retailer in some statesTechnology ecosystemInternal ERP to deliver solutions to clientsTransparency is important - client reporting dashboard that updates every 2 hoursOrder placement toolOther communications and self-service toolsBusiness ModelPer case fee with a minimum monthly feeBreakeven happens ~350 cases/month or morePasses on direct costs of being in the market (e.g., warehousing/storage fees)MHW SizeSold through platform 150M cases since mid-1995Helping 10,000s of products come to market150 employees, rapidly hiringGlobal vision - opened EU office in 2018 - no 3-tier system, but complex tax ecosystem they help clients withMarket size - started in a niche, but growing due to increased distributor consolidation (making it hard for wineries to break into the market), cutting out the complexity of the 3-tier system while still controlling your own destiny, providing more cost-effective solutionsCompetitors - some more tech-focused, a self-serve model; some more focused on 1 vertical (e.g., spirits or wine), MHW differentiates with a high touch serviceMHW vs traditional importer / distributor3 ways to enter the marketDo it yourself - build out back-office to support itTraditional importer/distributor - lose control of how wine is sold, but get paid upfront and importer sells the wine, lose transparency into who’s buying the wineMHW - strategic partner to import and fulfill the way the winery wants it to happenE-commerce increase enables clients to have another opportunity to get traction in the US marketUpcoming for MHWDevelop more value-added tech solutionsAcquired BevStrat in 2019 - provides on the ground sales support for clients Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jeff Andrews was such a crypto fan that he built 4 crypto mining rigs in his family’s winery lab.  A mini-meltdown of one of the rigs didn’t diminish his enthusiasm, making it a no-brainer for Trothe, the new winery based on the best blocks of the 1,300 acres of the Andrews Family Vineyards in the Horse Heaven Hills in Washington State, to accept crypto right out of the gate. Jeff and winemaker Ray McKee talk about their passion for crypto, the process for accepting it as payment for wine, and the benefits for customers and the winery of using crypto in this episode of XChateau.Detailed Show Notes: Jeff’s background4th generation farmer in Horse Heaven Hills, Washington1st winegrapes planted in 1980A lawyer by trainingFamily farms 1,300 acres of vineyards (Andrew Family Vineyards)Exclusive source of grapes for Trothe WinesRay’s background2nd generation winemaker in Washington29 vintages in Washington in 2021, 1 in AustraliaWas the red winemaker for Chateau Ste Michelle for 10 yearsTrotheuses the best blocks of grapes from Andrew Family VineyardsTrying to make the best wine possibleCrypto enthusiasts (both Jeff and Ray)~2016-2017 - started investing a bit in cryptoBuilt 4 mining rigs in the winery lab to mine Ethereum1 mine had a mini-meltdown, which ended the experimentBenefits of crypto for customersSecurity of transaction - more secure than credit cardsAuthenticity/provenance for ownership of the wine - creates a secure record of wine ownership with the future potential to link each bottle to an NFTTrothe bottles have unique identifiers and custom made holograms on them - have the potential to link to an NFT in the futureBenefits of crypto for the winery“Get more crypto”Connect w/ customers with similar interestsTrothe can see where the wines are going in the world w/ cryptoSome marketing benefits - positive feedback on social and via emailThe crypto transaction processUses Coinbase CommercePuts an upper and lower bound on transactions to deal with crypto pricing fluctuationsCurrently on Vinespring e-commerce - does not yet integrate w/ cryptoCustomer needs to email / call the winery to request a crypto transaction, and then the winery sends an invoice via Coinbase CommerceThe transaction constitutes a sale of crypto from wine buyer to the winery and a purchase of crypto by the winery for tax purposesCrypto sales - none yet, wine has only been released for 1 monthOther wineries accepting crypto - Mondavi Sisters’ Dark Matter and Aloft Wines Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Growing up in a small town of ~700 people made Valentina Abbona, 6th generation vintner and Export and Marketing Manager for her family’s winery, Marchesi di Barolo, want to explore the world.  Stints in the US, India, and China ultimately led her back to the family business and managing wine exports.  Valentina talks about the history of Barolo exports, including becoming “The King of wine, wine of Kings,” how she approaches new markets, and the differences between markets around the world.  Explore the world through the lens of Barolo in this episode of XChateau! Detailed Show Notes: Marchesi di Barolo backgroundFounded by the last Marquis di Barolo Carlo Tancredi Falletti and French Noblewoman Giulia Colbert di MaulevrierThomas Jefferson noted that the juice from the Barolo area had potential (which was not the same as the current dry wine)The Marchesa Giulia built the cellars based on the potential of the Nebbiolo grape underground in the 1800s to create a still wineMarchesi di Barolo, and subsequently Barolo, became the “King of wine, wine of Kings”Abbona family bought the estate in 1929 (Valentina’s great grandfather)Valentina’s backgroundShe grew up in the town of Barolo (~700 people)Traveled and explored the world before coming back to the wine industryAfter 1 year in China with a consulting company, she missed the winery and wine industry and came back to work with the familyBarolo export historyBarolo was part of the Kingdom of Savoy - the King of Savoy in Turin requested wine from Marchesa Giulia, who sent 325 barrels to the King’s Court - 1 for every day of the year except the 40 days of LentTraveled to royal courts around EuropeThere is correspondence from the 1930s showing the wine went as far as Kabul and JavaExportation of wine55% of wine exported, 45% sold in ItalyVery proud that Italy is the largest market for the wineThe entire portfolio is sold in ItalyExport to >60 countriesA selection of wines are sold to various marketsTop export markets - US, Germany, Norway, DenmarkThe US has more “geeky” wine knowledgeAsia is an emerging market - India (a historical market for Marchesi), China, Thailand, JapanHigh growth was seen in Southeast Asia (Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam) - especially for the different single-vineyard wines (which is a similar trend for Barolo in general)The general trend for demand shifting to higher-end, single-vineyard bottlings vs. general Barolo (even in markets like Germany that historically bought more “classic” wines at the low - medium price points)Expanding to new marketsStrategy based on the size of the market and knowledge of the wine consumerE.g., Uzbekistan is a new market - “easy” as buyer contacted Marchesi Bigger markets, which have more diverse consumer bases - often need more education and background knowledge before market launchItaly tends to do things solo vs. as a group, though the local Consorzio is starting to promote the territory moreStrategy for larger marketsCanada - each province has a different partner, particularly with the nuances of the local government monopoliesUS - one importer with local distributors for the different states; need to have a lot of regional meetings with people in each areaItaly has >100 agents for different marketsTrade Fairs (e.g., VinItaly, Vinexpo, Prowein)Give an opportunity to change people’s opinionsCan have a view of what’s happening globally in 1 day“Vital for our business”VinItaly is different because of its Italy focus - also a place to bring the wineries of the country together and connectIndiaSold mainly through hotelsEvery region has its own dynamics and own taxesAverage knowledge of sommeliers is very highChinaThey had no exposure to wine on a daily basis when Valentina lived there (2011)Living there helped her understand consumer choices and preferences but did not lead to contacts for market entryDiscovered wine clubs, where there are people with great knowledge of wineBarolo/Barbaresco wines are more challenging to the Chinese palate as they don’t have fruit/sweetness that Chinese palates likeIn-person vs. technology for selling wineVisiting in person is key to building and establishing relationshipsTechnology can help maintain them Tool to help importers ell wine“Have to have a glass of wine in hand” - makes the experience as concrete as possibleSometimes brings soil samples, maps (“very useful”), video, and pictures - allow people to imagine being there and have more conversationsFor business meetings - video calls work wellPreference for a combination of in-person and virtual toolsWine Allocations - some single vineyard and Barolo di Barolo may run out, trying to do more scheduling and programming of allocations by countryWomen in the wine industry - “always be yourself, don’t be scared of that”The future for Marchesi di Barolo - recently purchased Cascina Bruchiata in the Rio Sordo area of Barbaresco Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. 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Becoming a wine critic sounds like a dream for many.  However, even though the cost and effort of setting up a website and putting out information have declined dramatically, doing the work of becoming a professional is no easy task - the time and effort it takes to taste and review thousands of wines a year is daunting.  Jeb’s journey from aerospace engineer to reviewer of The Wine Advocate to being the Editor-in-Chief of jebdunnuck.com highlights the passion required for the journey.  Jeb talks about his journey, critics going independent, blind tasting, score inflation, and more, all in service of helping his subscribers make informed wine buying decisions.  Another unique viewpoint on the evolution of the wine critic on XChateau!Detailed Show Notes: Jeb’s backgroundHe grew up on a farm in rural Indiana - no wine on the tableSelf-trained in wineHe traveled through France and fell in love with wineHe never had an epiphany wineWorked at Lockheed Martin in upstate New York - was an aerospace engineer for his initial careerDid a part-time job at a wine store in Denver2008 - created a website - The Rhone ReportReleased a quarterly pdf for free for 3 yearsBuilt a subscriber base for 2 years2013 - Robert Parker asked him to work at The Wine Advocate (“TWA”)Worked at TWA for 5 yearsHaving a chance to work with Robert Parker was key to joining2017 - left TWA and started JebDunnuck.comThe Rhone Report reviews were morphed into JebDunnuck.comLeft TWA because Jeb disagreed with the direction of the new ownership, the culture changed dramaticallyWine critic vs. wine publicationBelieves the person writing the reviews is more important than the publicationThe business model of publications lean them to emphasizing the publication over the criticIt’s up to the consumer to know their criticsJebDunnuck.com (“JD”)More of a “singular voice”He doesn’t believe in large teams of criticsJebDunnuck.com has a small group of critics covering multiple regions eachJeb doesn’t pretend to be a writer as he comes from an engineering background => his goal is to help the consumer make buying decisions and find the wines they likeWrites concise vintage reports, talks about style and structure of winesHe doesn’t write opinion pieces, commentary, or do eventsHe doesn’t take money to review wines, completely subscriber fundedReviews 9-12k wines/yearCritics going independentBelieves the trend is actually towards more business-driven, team-driven critic reviews => the size of the wine world is so big that it is pushing that wayIf the critic is the most important thing for reviews, going independent is the way to do wine criticismBest practices for wine critic ethicsDon’t take money from people making the productThere are shades of grey - e.g., sometimes people pick up the tab at a dinnerCritics should pay their own way (airfare, hotels, meals, etc.…)JD buys a lot of wines but could not purchase them allCost of being independentWebsite and getting information out is low nowBut providing professional (e.g., extensive) coverage is hard and expensive (time, travel)Blind tastingJeb is a fan of blind tasting for how to approach winesBelieves the role of the critic is more than the tasting note - it’s to provide context on the region and the producer (which can’t be done with blind tasting)People promoting blind tasting are taking money from the trade, so Jeb believes they have to sell their processImpact of top scoresLess impact today because so many great wines out thereMore great wines than ever before => lots of substitutes, even at 95+, 100 point scoresPathway for wineries to become iconicMake a consistently great wine, takes timeNeed to have wines tasted and reviewed by top publicationsNeed to make enough so people can try it and get exposure globallyScore inflation and compression“I do think scores have increased”Believes there’s less compression - more critics are using the whole scale (up to 100) with more highly rated wines than in the pastThe format of score presentation now gives the appearance of score inflationScores used as email marketing will only be high onesMost people access scores online via a score database, sorting by the highest score vs. having to read through a printed documentScores used for large reports to give delineation between wines100 point wines for Jeb must have the following:Hedonistic pleasureIntellectual pleasureIntensity of aromas and flavorsAge abilitySingularity (they stand out)Barrel samplesSimilar to evaluating a young wine, can still be usefulRange ratings for barrel samples are important because the scores can come out before the wines are released, giving subscribers guidance for purchasingJD’s subscriber baseDon’t have a lot of demographic info on subscribersPretty serious about wine, mostly collectors~80% US-based, so CA wines are important to themUser-generated reviewsCellarTracker - useful because you can follow individualsAggregate reviews are not useful;  “0 x 100 = 0” Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. 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Esther Mobley, Wine Critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, thought writing would be more of a passion than a career.  Yet, she’s one of two full-time wine writers for newspapers in the US.  Esther discusses how being at a newspaper differs from a wine magazine, the changing wine critic landscape, the impact of wine scoring, and even gives some tips for budding wine bloggers and influencers.  She believes that “More voices are great” when it comes to wine writing and celebrates when there’s a new wine writer hired.  A unique voice and angle in our discussion of the evolving landscape for wine critics. Detailed Show Notes: Esther’s backgroundShe went to Napa to work harvest after college (for fun)Worked in restaurants and wine shopsLanded an internship at Wine EnthusiastShe got a job at the Wine Spectator in the editorial departmentShe was an English major, wanted to be a writerRole as the SF Chron’s wine criticPlays both a new reporter and critic roleNews reporter - cover local news for a major industry (wine)Critic - look at wine through an evaluative lensDoesn’t score wines, writes more narrative reviews of wines“Wine of the Week” column - focus on one bottle of wineThe decline of newspaper wine writersMight be only 2 full time in the US - Eric Asimov (New York Times) & EstherThe local newspaper business model has shiftedAll used to have a wine columnist, and no one goes to the local newspaper now to learn about wineNewspaper wine writers have evolved - more local news-oriented, provides a view on something important to the Bay AreaEveryone works online nowChronicle business modelProfitable and hiring a lot of peopleFocused on subscribers vs. advertisement - would rather have fewer people read an article, but more subscribersNot trying to be a national publicationNewspapers vs. magazinesMagazines score wines, publish less frequently traditionallyNewspapers - more news, though Wine Spectator also doing more wine newsDifferences are narrowing between the twoWine Critic landscape“More voices are great”The barrier of entry is lower than it used to beA lot of people want to know “who’s the next Parker” -> probably will never be a next ParkerMore people covering niches w/in wineSF Chronicle / Esther - cover mostly CA wine, telling the story of Bay Area wines, enables the telling of interesting storiesWine InfluencersSome concern over the blurring lines between sponsored and editorial contentSome people may feel they have made wine too democraticEsther believes most criticism against influencers is sexist -> influencers just doing the best to succeed in their mediumInfluencers working w/in social media algorithms to get their successWine ScoringAnecdotally hear score remain important on the wholesale level - to sell wines to restaurants / retail buyers“Wine of the Week” articles - have heard this does lead to some wines selling out at retail (publishes where wine is available, but sells out after it comes out online but before it hits print) -> recommendations from trusted sources still matterBlind tasting - if someone is scoring wine, this is the best way to do itWine Spectator - tastes blind, includes a “ringer” in every flight (a wine that the critic has scored before) to see if scores are consistentCritics vs. PublicationsSF Chronicle makes Esther’s name more publicThe Wine Advocate invested more in the personal name of critics vs. Wine Spectator less soAverage consumers don’t know the difference between wine critics and their palatesStories that are interesting to Esther“Things that don’t make sense on their face”E.g., Andy Beckstoffer giving away grapes for free from a Lake County vineyardRenaissance Winery in Sierra Foothills - a doomsday cult that craft a world-class wineAdvice to wine bloggers/influencersRead a lot of good, non-wine writing (e.g., The New Yorker, The Atlantic)Don’t assume the reader has much knowledge of wine (e.g., don’t use too many technical terms, wine jargon)User-Generated Content wine forums (e.g., CellarTracker, Vivino)Wine Berserkers - “it’s its own thing,” like a Reddit for wine, very knowledgeable people on it In beer, e.g., Untappd, Rate Beer - are taken more seriously than wineGeneral problem - no one’s figured out how to talk about wine on the internet Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The retirement of Robert Parker marked a major change in the role of the wine critic that had been building over time.  William Kelley, Reviewer of Burgundy, Champagne, English Sparkling, and Madeira for The Wine Advocate (“TWA”), gives us his thoughts on how the wine critic landscape is changing and why, the impact wine critics have on the market, and the role of TWA.  Dig deep into the mind of a wine critic on this episode of XChateau. Detailed Show Notes: William’s backgroundHe ran a tasting group at Oxford for 3 yearsHe was initially planning on becoming an academicHe ended up working a harvest in California in 2015Makes wine - Chenin Blanc in California (beginning in 2015), in Chambolle Musigny (beginning in 2018)Pitched a piece to Decanter and ended up becoming the North American and Burgundy editor2019 - got a call from The Wine Advocate (“TWA”) and became a reviewer thereCurrently researching a book on Burgundy that would not be an encyclopedia-style of bookThe evolving role of the wine criticTwo main trends changing the role of the wine criticThe scale of the wine world is bigger, and no one can taste everything anymore (which was possible when Robert Parker started) -> creates the need for more reviewers, more specialization, and critics living in the regions they coverThe explosion of the value of fine wine - most people can’t afford luxury wines today, this makes reviewers of high-end wines dependent on the producers, whereas Parker used to buy the wines and retain the consumer perspectiveMore small niches are being created in wine mediaSubscription models are still doing well (including at TWA)Lifestyle writing is moving beyond the aspirational and anchored more in realityMost wine media jobs are occupied by people who’ve been doing it for a long time (little mobility, ability for new voices to come up)Many people in wine media don’t make enough to make a livingPeople doing blogs are likely to go to mainstream media as people begin to retireCritic influenceConsumers spending a lot of money on wine still care which critics score the winesRetailers generally show the highest scores, regardless of who the critic isStrong/historic brands are “immune” to critic criticismHigh scores (e.g. - 100 points) still matterCedric Bouchard - gave a 2008 100 pointsHe wanted to show there’s no glass ceiling for winesThis gave Bouchard feedback and recognition for his growing practices, which were counter the Champagne normEgly-Ouriet, already an established top grower Champagne, said his business increased 33% after getting 100 points100 point scores can be a disruptor of the traditional hierarchyThe business model issue with wine media - critics sell the wine but don’t get a stake in the profitTWA’s role in the wine worldScores are needed in the industry to sell wineTWA has become like the “Standard & Poor’s” of the wine worldParker also sold a lifestyle - he had charisma, led a lifestyle of opening great wines and at well, including at events with clientsRecently launched new sustainability featuresA filter for organic and biodynamic wines (for all wines)Nominations for producers who work sustainably in an exemplary manner (a small set of producers)William reviews ~5,000 wines/year and gets to choose which wines to reviewPathways to becoming an iconic brand todayBizot never got 100 points, still an iconic, cult brandNeed the right confluence of market dynamicsScore inflationThere has been some score inflationScore compression is a bigger problem - scores are less differentiatedThis partly has to do with how people buy wine (e.g., they only buy 90+ point wines)New platforms that have an impact on the marketInstagram and WeChat are platforms that move the marketCellarTracker, Wine Berserkers are niche and don’t move the market as much Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Growing up around wine has not dimmed the passion Jacki Strum brings to her work as President of Wine Enthusiast Media.  In the first of a series on the evolution of the wine critic, Jacki tells us about how Wine Enthusiast has expanded its platform from print into web, social media, podcasts, and even Tik Tok.  As well as how they assess wines (blindly) as a wine critic and how those ratings are used to help people buy wine.  We really get under the hood of the wine media business in this episode of XChateau! Detailed Show Notes: Jacki's backgroundShe grew up in wine (her parents founded Wine Enthusiast in the late 1970s)Studied wine through WSET Level 3Digital media in wine & spirits backgroundFounded Thirsty Nest - a wine & spirits gift registry platform, media, and commerce hybrid that is part of Wine EnthusiastWine media in the late 1980sWine Enthusiast (“WE”) magazine founded in 1988, Robert Parker wrote for WE for a whileWine Spectator was around, but not much else“French Paradox” on 60 Minutes (1991) about the health benefits of wine was the catalyst for the entire wine industry in the US, which helped the magazine take off as wellWE media platformPrint publication - still successfulDid well during Covid as people were sick of screens and hard newsWebsite - growing exponentiallyHouses the entire database of wine reviewsBuying guide went “through the roof” during Covid due to an increase in online wine sales65% of visitors go to the website to buy wineSocial mediaInstagram - now the biggest platform, easy to shop, easy to commentFacebook - still important, but fading vs. InstagramTwitterTesting Tik Tok - believes will be the future of educational contentPodcast - done well and testing a few other seriesNewsletter / email - still coreBeverage Industry Enthusiast - trade/industry news grew a lot during CovidWE company motto - “We bring wine to life”It plays into the journalism approach - including the lifestyle elements of wineRatings help people buy wineCore demographic - “the curious wine consumer,” which is more of a mindset vs. an age or genderWine criticism and ratingsTaste completely blindTaste w/in 1 regionAdvertisers have no say on ratingsDo points still sell wine? 100 points or Wine of the Year can still build a brandMost ratings are a powerful tool in the marketing toolset, but just a piece of the puzzleCertain critic/magazine names still carry more weight than othersMore at the bottom of the marketing funnel - helps close the saleAt the top of the funnel - general brand awareness - WE builds partnerships with brands for marketing, including various content and social influencersWE Buying Guide (ratings)It comes up 1st on Google, which gives it more credibilityReview ~25,000 wines per yearPath to building a wine brand todayScores are still helpful and freeNeed to build out the marketing stack and figure out the storytelling - start with social mediaThe catalog did well during Covid - people needed wine storage, upgraded glassware, etc.…Return on ad spend with WEPartners wanted to get closer to the sale, have become more ROI drivenImplemented digital shopping carts to track purchasesKey metrics for ROAS (return on ad spend)Email acquisitionWine salesImpressionsPodcasts - can use discount codes to track the impactThe natural feeling of podcasts make an ad feel more realWebinars did well for email acquisitionAny campaigns that boosted DTC sales or signups did wellDigital advertising has grown a lot during CovidLots of influencer marketing - leverage 40 Under 40 contacts, usually people WE has written aboutOften custom build ad partnership plans with clientsWE Catalog provides the richest database in the industry to create good ad targeting Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Natalie MacLean, a podcaster and writer based in Ottawa, Canada, has been bringing people into her wine world for over 20 years. With two books, a newsletter with over 300,000 subscribers, a mobile app, and the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, Natalie’s main focus is on perfecting her food and wine pairing courses - The Wine Smart Course and an upcoming course on wine and cheese. Natalie tells us about how she built her personal brand, the most effective marketing channels she’s used, and where her primary revenue drivers are. If you’re interested in navigating how to be successful in the world of wine, Natalie’s journey provides key insights.Detailed Show Notes: Natalie’s backgroundHas an MBA, did consumer packaged goods (“CPG”) marketing at P&G and techShe took a sommelier course and fell in love with wine, as a full-bodied experienceStarted as a writer - cold-called editors, then wrote books, and now publishes a podcast - Unreserved Wine TalkShe didn’t drink alcohol until she was in her late 20’sBrunello was the wine that got her into wineCurrent focus - online food and wine pairing coursesFocused on 2 courses only - believes in doubling down on the Unique Selling Proposition (“USP”), wants to perfect courses vs. add more#1 - The Wine Smart CourseLifetime access to materials5 modulesPre-recorded videos (on-demand, all “snackable” - 7-9 minutes in length, 70-75 videos)Live webinars via Zoom - bi-weekly tastings#2 - Beta: Wine & Cheese PairingAppeals to both consumers and hospitality and trade professionals b/c of the focus on food and wine pairingIt starts with food, then pairs the wineLeverages some research from Tim Hanni, MWFree wine and food pairing guideCore audience - vast, similar to the general populationNewsletter / website300k email subscribers - free to join, C$3/mo for access to wine reviewsHas pairing tips (more depth in courses), a lot of free videosIt started as an email to friends and familyUses LCBO pricingWine scoresPeople use them as a shorthand for quality, to calculate the quality to price ratio (“QPR”)People requested it, and now it’s a service for readersPassion is writingMobile appFree to downloadScans front label and bar codesIntegrated liquor store pricing and inventory across the country (Canada) via API’s to provincial liquor control boardsFeatures - virtual cellar, wishlist, buy listsUS wines in CanadaCA, WA, OR, NY well represented#1 export market for US winesDuring Covid - premium wines (C$20+) have done well, benefiting US winesCanadian wine palate - driven more towards cool climate wines, Canada’s heritage is beer and whiskeyMarketing Natalie’s brandBuilt over 20 years, started the website in 2000Started with the books (Red, White, and Drunk All Over; Unquenchable) - published by Randomhouse, book tour, Amazon’s bestseller list - led to broad reach and TV and other media appearances and “exploded” newsletter subscribersPodcast a core channel nowPodcast listeners stay with you, and most listen 80-100% throughPodcast listeners and paid online courses have the strongest overlapLeverage and cross-purpose content to broaden the reach to many channelsPodcast videos for FB LiveSocial media - gets people over to newsletter or free wine and food pairing guide, low commitment, usually not payingNothing beats emailAlways strives to deliver value first - drive to something free (e.g., free class/webinar), then promotes paid coursesMain revenue drivers#1 - online courses#2 - wine review subscriptions#3 - online advertising Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Getting at the heart of what consumers want is essential for any business, but a vastly understudied area in the world of fine wine.  Pauline Vicard, Executive Director of ARENI Global, follows up her interview on Episode 28 and shares with us their latest research on the fine wine consumer - “The Future of Fine Wine Consumers 2021.”  We explore the role of fine wine merchants, how and why consumers buy fine wine, and the key attributes of fine wine brands.  The work covers the US, UK, China, and Hong Kong, and we discover the differences between consumers in each location.  We even touch on diversity and inclusion in the fine wine world.  An impactful, cornerstone interview to better understand the mindset of the fine wine consumer, a must listen! Detailed Show Notes:Pauline was the guest of Episode 28, where she shared findings from the 2019 research on the Fine Wine ConsumerARENI Global backgroundARENI is a global research and action institute dedicated to the future of Fine Wine. Creating conversation platforms for the Fine Wine ecosystem, ARENI brings together critical thinkers, from iconic Fine Wine producers to leading academics and business leaders, resulting in a well-researched, global and multi-disciplinary approach to a world undergoing change.ARENI studies six main forces of change and regularly publishes on:The Fine Wine Consumer: A Customer-Centric ApproachChanging Societies: Fine Wine Evolving Social frameworkThe Digital Economy and Transformative technologyAccess to market: Towards new commercial routesSustainability 2.0: Acting now, thinking long termMoney: An Essential Force of ConflictWants to break traditional silos to share information and collaborate, including with other industriesOrganizes think tank platforms and conducts research studiesARENI publishes a bi-monthly, free newsletter. To keep in touch with their research, publications, and events, sign up.Fine Wine Consumer Research2019 - was more qualitative research2020 - “The Future of Fine Wine Consumers 2021” more quantitative researchStudied fine wine consumers in the US, UK, China, and Hong KongDefinition of Fine WineComplex, balanced, potential to ageProduces emotions, reflects the winemaker’s intentionsEnvironmentally, socially, and financially sustainable (new part of the definition)Price is not in the definition but used price brackets from La Place de Bordeaux for quantitative studies (€30+, €150+, €450+)Consumers perceptions of fine winePerceive it more as brands/chateauxThe average fine wine consumer can name 2.5 wineries, most common ones - Lafite, Latour, and PetrusDoes not associate fine wine as much with country, grape variety, or type of wineUS consumers >35 know more brands than those Fine wine merchantsConsumers very loyal to merchants, but not exclusive, tend to source from severalHave high expectations of merchants, want them to bring a diversity of wines and recommend new thingsKey attributes: high customer service, pristine condition of wines, guarantee against fraud, want access to allocations and exclusive events, and easy deliveryWant access to the merchant through diverse communication channels but still have the human/personal touchHow consumers choose a fine wine#1 - vintage (UK, China, Hong Kong)Burgundy buyers use both vintage and producerScores are still important, but most people don’t follow specific critics or guide books, but they still use the scores as validation of the quality of the winePrice is not a key driver#3 factor - grape varietyThe reputation of the brand and winery importantLeast important factor - celebrity or influencer recommendationsStorytellingNot as important as was expected, the wine’s story is not relevant for every fine wine consumerSome want wines because of their status or what tastes the bestWhy consumers buy fine wineIntimate consumption was bigger than expected - wine as a treat for self and/or partner (US, UK)Special occasions, formal social events (Hong Kong, China)Gifting (China)Formal wine tastings (UK)Business occasions (China)Food and wine pairing (particularly in China)Fine Wine Consumer demographicsUK/US - 70% men, 30% womenChina/Hong Kong - 50% men, 50% womenWomen want to buy luxuryMillennial women are an important marketMore young consumers (Fine wine investorsNon-collectors that invest mostly go through a 3rd partyLook at it as another financial asset, rarely take ownership of wineTop attributes for fine wine brands#1 - the capacity to age as wine evolves with time#2 - high ratings from wine critics (the UK the lowest for this)The reputation of a region of origin and producerUK/US - complexity of tasteChina/Hong Kong - scarcity importantDon’t really think of sustainability - assume wine is sustainableTrade does think of sustainability - they are gatekeepers for consumersDiversity and inclusion“Fine wine is whiteness” was discovered in research - references to colonial terms for many countries (e.g., India, US)The industry has little to lose by having more diversityDiversity issues and systemic difficulties are different for different countriesChina - diversity more focused on gender vs. raceTo access the full report, become a member of ARENI.For more information: [email protected] Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. 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Part two of our interview with Damien Wilson, Hamel Family Chair of Wine Business at Sonoma State University, focuses on what wineries can do to align their brand, marketing messages, and how they sell wine to Millennials.  From hospitality to various marketing channels, with social media, Damien provides examples of what works and tips on what to do.  This episode also includes a “lightning round” where Damien and Peter discuss some of the major trends in wine marketing. Detailed Show Notes: Millennial Wine Buying - tips for wineriesLimits on brand loyalty/retention mean wineries need to make more customer acquisitionHigh price points will put off younger consumersLow-end wine brands (e.g., Charles Shaw) are not targeting Millennials well - they appear to be more about consumption (e.g., Carlo Rossi jug wine, Bag in a Box brand) vs. Millennial valuesSeltzer likely hitting a peak as the category is starting to fracture and fragment with many new brands and brand extensionsHospitality best practicesWe need to be better at the digital eraWine industry good at talking about the product and quality (e.g., winemaking, terroir, product characteristics) but needs to know how to get people to the glass before what’s in the glassResponses from wineries on social media are very slow or unresponsiveGood examplesJason Haas of Tablas Creek in Paso Robles - very responsive, got back to Damien in 10 minutes of tagging, Jason responds himselfNicole Rolet of Chene BleuRandall Graham - remains relevant but admits to not figuring out how to make money from social media Macrostie - has 12 different locations in their facility with different experiences - creates a reason for people to come backTagged 27 wineries on a trip to Paso Robles, and only 2 got back to him (1 of which was Tablas Creek)Automated monitoring can help - so people get notified when activity occursMillennials have a strong attachment to people behind the brands and ones that reflect their valuesMillennials ask questions, and they will tell you what they likeMarketing channels that workSocial mediaRetail with smaller producers/experiences (e.g., Whole Foods showcases smaller producers and is more experiential shopping)Marketing Lightning Round w/ Damien and PeterAugmented Reality - “brilliant” according to Damien, cost of adoption is falling, e.g., 19 Crimes and Snoop Dog RoseNatural / “Clean” wines - a way to premiumize lower-end wines with marketing; natural wine suffers from lack of consistency, making it harder to adopt; Clean wines - unsure if success is related to clean or celebrities that back themLow/No Alcohol / No sugar wines - could work if they get people into the wine category, likely more a niche long-termCelebrity wines - will likely grow but needs to be authentic - e.g., Kim Kardashian was behind a vodka brand but didn’t drink, which turned people off of the brand Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With values and attitudes formed around the turn of the 21st century, Millennials want fulfilling careers, are more into environmental and social causes, and grew up in the social media era.  Damien Wilson, Hamel Family Chair of Wine Business at Sonoma State University, explains who Millennials are, what drives their buying habits, and the brand loyalty of the group.  This is the first part of a two-part series on marketing to Millennials. Detailed Show Notes: Damien’s backgroundMid 1980’s - worked in grocery retail in wine & spiritsEarly 1990’s - worked in hospitality as a wine stewardMid 1990’swine sales repCompleted 4 degrees in the wine business2007 - left the University of South Australia and Australia overall with a Ph.D. in Wine BusinessResearch areas include: History and usage of screw caps and natural corkConsumer behavior - consumption patterns that lead to wine consumptionDigital marketing, tourismDefining MillennialsGenerational cohorts - they may change their name as certain experiences become the dominant characteristic of their valuesEach cohort is distinct because of their experiences, which have information and directive influencesE.g., Silent (formerly Great) Generation - values were set during war yearsBaby Boomers - the boom in population growth post-warGen X (used to be called latch key generation)Gen Z (1997 onwards) - have no real memory of September 11th (2001), were initially called the “i -generation” because they were attached to their iPhonesMillennialsOriginally set from the late ’70s (as early as 1976) to the early 80s birth years Current definition (from Pew Research Center and Brookings Institute) - 1981 - 1996Attitudes and values formed during the decades around the turn of the 21st century (1990s-2000s)Millennial Values and AttitudesWant a fulfilling career vs. a stable or secure careerExhibit stronger support for social and environmental issuesHave the largest perceptual gap of their long-term vision vs. their initial reality - they had huge expectations of adulthood and were hit with reality (you start at the bottom) and the Global Financial CrisisLived in the social media era - see the extremes (people curated perfect lives)Millennial Wine BuyingWine buying is tightly correlated with economic statusGenerational buyingSilent Generation - marked by frugality, drank less wine because it was more expensiveBaby Boomers - expressed interest in wine and shares with others, have been the driver behind the recent success of the wine industry, wine as a relatively inexpensive way to show success and luxury (e.g., Silver Oak success)Gen X - eschews traditional brands, tried different things (e.g., led to the Rhone Rangers movement)Millennials -focus more on enjoyment and the collective vision of what wine means for their generationwant individualism, but also consume brands that are more representative of their groupHumor, innovative approaches, bohemian, off-kilter brands can be successfulWilling to accept something that reflects values and intent, even if not total wine specific, whereas the prior generation was more focused on the wine itself)Receptive to sales and marketing messages as long as it is authentic to the brandBuying pattern formative period in teen and early adult years, particularly for aesthetic consumption and will likely persist over timeMillennial brand loyaltyBrand loyalty starts with awareness - awareness of anything trumps lack of awareness which makes consumers start with a degree of brand loyaltyThe pattern is repeated until people gain more comfort with products and they move to brand extensionsNew wine consumers (e.g., Millennials) are still new to the category, still just learning what wine isProud of and support brands that support them (e.g., Supreme - streetwear); wines they drink are wines that support them and have brand loyalty to them (e.g., Buena Vista, Chateau Diana)Perception of brand loyalty may be due to low wine club signup rateMillennial wine spending habitsSpend 2x more than the grocery store average on wineHighest spend per unit of any generation (high $20s - low $30s/bottle)$10-15/bottle is the sweet spot in grocery/retailAwareness key to buying wineNapa has the greatest awareness of any US wine-growing region, which helpsIconic wines to still do well due to brand awareness Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the world’s leading grape geneticists, Carole Meredith, Professor Emerita of UC Davis and owner of Lagier Meredith winery, has spent decades identifying and profiling grape varieties.  It was so interesting that the interview has been split into two episodes. Episode 55 covers the background of Ampelography and DNA profiling as well as the definitions of key terms such as variety, clone, and hybrid. In addition, this episode features the stories of how she uncovered the history of Zinfandel (aka - Primitivo, Crljenak Kaštelanski, and Tribidrag) with Croatian researchers and how wineries use DNA profiling in wine marketing. Detailed Show Notes: Discovering ZinfandelZinfandel has a long history in California. People assumed it was a native California grape, but it is a Vitis Vinifera, so it must come from EuropePeople suspected Croatia, but no evidenceIn the 1970’s - people noticed that Primitivo in Italy’s Puglia looked like Zinfandel, and it was confirmed they are the same grape varietyItalians said the grape is not Italian and came from Dalmatia (modern-day Croatia)CroatiaThey looked at Plavac Mali - a popular red grape in Croatia. It looks similar to Zinfandel, but is not the same, but relatedMike Grgich of Grgich Hills Winery made some introductions to Croatia, but those were dead ends1997 - Ivan Pejic of the University of Zagreb reached out and wanted to understand Croatian grapes betterAfter 3 years of gathering samples, they found it in a Croatian mixed vineyard (a grape named Crljenak Kaštelanski)2001 - At the Natural History Museum in Split, Croatia - found a specimen called Tribidrag that looked like ZinfandelTribidrag was an important grape as far back as the 1300s2011 - Croatian research group was able to extract DNA from dead leaves in the Split museum and confirm it was ZinfandelProves Zinfandel is an ancient grape with historical importanceTribidrag is not an approved varietal name for wine in the US. Lagier Meredith uses it as a fanciful name for their labelLagier Meredith sells mostly to their mailing list so that they can explain the history and the name to their customersRidge calls a wine Tribidrag, growing vines from Croatian cuttings, and wants to partner with Carole to get TTB to have Primitivo and Tribidrag as Zinfandel synonyms US TTB shows Zinfandel and Primitivo as separate varietiesCalifornia Zinfandel producers opposed having Primitivo be a synonym because they didn’t want competition from lots of cheap Italian PrimitivoEU wine label regulations list Zinfandel and Primitivo as synonyms2004 - US & EU sign an agreement on wine labeling to respect each other's laws, so now Italians can label their wines Zinfandel and export them to the USDNA typing - business impactsIt has been a boost for Croatian producers, put them on the map, and now a wine tourism destination with people even visiting the vineyard where Zinfandel was discoveredMostly done out of research institutionsFoundation Plant Services at UC Davis has a commercial DNA typing service - costs ~$300 / sampleSome producers (e.g., Schrader) use clones on labels - used as a distinction, helps to tell the story for marketing Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the world’s leading grape geneticists, Carole Meredith, Professor Emerita of UC Davis, and owner of Lagier Meredith winery, has spent decades identifying and profiling grape varieties.  It was so interesting that the interview has been split into two episodes, this one about the background of Ampelography and DNA profiling as well as the definitions of key terms such as variety, clone, and hybrid.  The second episode features how she uncovered the history of Zinfandel and how wineries use DNA profiling in wine marketing. Detailed Show Notes: Carole’s backgroundWorked part-time at a retail nursery, got into plant genetics, and wanted to be a flower breederChanged to doing a Ph.D. on tomato genetics at UC DavisWorked in biotech for a few years on cotton, corn, and soybeansShe went into grapes because a position opened up at UC DavisAmpelography - the study of grape identification before DNA testingGrape varieties identified by their leaves, which vary distinctly, not by their fruit, which look similarBefore DNA testing, outside experts in Ampelography would often disagree with each other on grape identificationThe upside of ampelography is that it’s very fast. Today grapes are usually first identified by ampelography and then confirmed with DNA testingDNA testing for grapesStarted ~1991Looks at segments of DNA to look at specific markersNeed a minimum of 6 markers to identify a variety and more to establish variety parentageVitis Microsatellite Consortium - a group of academics that came together to develop DNA markers for grapesIn 1-2 years, developed 100s of markersGrape variety definition - used differently in trade or by scientistsTrade definition - grapes that make different wines (e.g., Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris) are different varietiesScientific definition - a cultivated variety that goes back to a single seedling, scientifically, Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris are clonal variants of a single varietyClones - variations within a varietyClones are subtypes that have developed over timeUsually have something to do with the fruit (e.g., color variants like Traminer vs. Gewurztraminer, Pinot Noir/Blanc/Gris)Clones arise through somatic mutations of the varietyOlder the variety (e.g., Pinot, Syrah) - more likely to have more clonesYoung varieties (e.g., Cabernet Sauvignon) have fewer clones (Some varietals (e.g., Pinot) are more likely to have mutationsPeople need to notice a difference (e.g., looser clusters which can have less bunch rot, early ripening, which avoids rainfall during harvest, or higher sugar levels for grapes like Riesling in cooler areas) and be preferentially chosen to plant new vineyardsENTAV - an institution in France that systematically identifies and registers clonesIn Chile, Jean-Michel Boursiquot, one of the world’s top ampelographers, identified that Chileans were calling Carmenere MerlotGrape FamiliesA term with no scientific meaningE.g., Muscat - “muscat” is a type of flavor; all current varieties likely descendants of a couple of ancient varietiesEvery variety is descended from 2 parent varietiesHybridsGenetic/scientific definition of a hybrid is an offspring of 2 different parents of the same OR different species (e.g., Cabernet Sauvignon is technically a hybrid of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc)Interspecific hybrid or cross is an offspring of parents from different species (e.g., hybrids of American and European grape varieties used to try and combat phylloxera) Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Laura Catena, Managing Director of Catena Zapata, Founder of the Catena Institute, and Owner of Luca Winery, used to frequently get asked, “What’s next for Argentina after Malbec.”  While Argentina has diversity in wine, its core calling card, quality, and diversity can also reside in Malbec.  From storied beginnings to becoming a new classic, Laura shares with us the stories of the history of Malbec, how Argentina and the Catena family have elevated it with tastings, books, and scientific research, and how the future of Argentina is truly...Malbec.  Detailed Show Notes: Laura’s backgroundBA Biology from Harvard, MD from Stanford, also studied FrenchShe grew up in the vineyards in Argentina, went to high school in the USShe wanted to help people, so she went into medicine, specifically emergency medicineNicknamed “La Lucita” by her grandfather for never standing still ER doctors have shifts that enable other hobbies or careers, thus working both in medicine and wineThe History of MalbecA background in French enabled Laura to read French historical documents about MalbecMalbec was known in Roman times, w/ Cahors the main areaCahors drunk by Eleanor of Aquitaine who married King Henry II, making the wine popular in the UK as wellIn Bordeaux, Malbec was very popular, used to make Cabernet Sauvignon smooth and ripened at the same time as Cabernet, vs. the earlier ripening MerlotAfter phylloxera, gets replaced by MerlotSaved in Argentina, where there was no phylloxeraIt was being pulled out in Argentina due to low yields (prone to coulure) when Nicolas Catena started to do something with the varietyThe breakthrough moment in 1999 - a Wall Street Journal article about Malbec started to change things, Catena was noted as the top wineMalbec gives different flavors from different regionsSalta - jammy, syrupyPatagonia - spicy, herbalAdrianna Vineyard - some are big and tannic, others more like Pinot NoirFlying Winemakers in ArgentinaPaul Hobbs, Michel Rolland, and others came and helped with changes to the winery (fermentation, oak barrel usage, etc.…)But soils and altitude were unique and different, which required new study, leading to the founding of the Catena InstitutePromoting MalbecCatena Malbec Argentino label - tells the history of Malbec through 4 women (including phylloxera)Catena ZapataInitially made Cabernet and Chardonnay for export (1990-1991 vintages)1st Catena Malbec was 1994 vintageDid lots of blind tastings, Laura’s mom went to stores and bought the best wine and blind tasted Chardonnays, claiming that every time, Catena wonBy the time Malbec was introduced, the Catena brand was already known for its qualityThe initial key market of the domestic Argentina market - provided income to support the cost of building up exportsBooksVino Argentino - wanted an English book to highlight ArgentinaGold in the Vineyards - talks about special sites globally, shows concept via illustration to make it more engagingA new book to be published on the history of malbecBelieves in not telling too many stories at once and making it interesting, usually for 1-3 yearsMalbec Argentino - created a 20 min theatrical play of the story, hired a UK actress to performCurrent discussion - “Let’s Talk about Grand Cru and Gran Vins” - discussion of Catena parcella wines with Pinot Noir and Nicolas Catena with Bordeaux or Napa Cab, with Larry Stone MSCatena InstituteShares all research for the benefit of everyone in ArgentinaEstablished to solve a specific problem: how to elevate Argentina’s winesPublish all work - must be of high quality for peer reviews, wanted to share it, and made other institutes want to do research togetherRecent Study:  Proof of Terroir through MalbecIt looked at 24 sites in Mendoza50% of the sites have a fingerprint that is identifiable (via 10 different anthocyanins and 20 different polyphenols)Shows proof of terroir and that some terroir is more identifiable than others -> showcasing the meaning behind “Grand Cru sites”Making Malbec collectibleNeed to be patientNeed to do a lot of tastingsRatings are importantTourism is also important - building a new hospitality center at Catena, want it to be the best experience in the world, something people will travel for Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“The last frontier of Europe,” “A pristine region,” “A mosaic of soil varieties and temperatures” are all ways João Gomes de Silva, Board Member of Sogrape, describes the Alentejo wine region.  João tells us about the evolution of Portugal’s wine industry, the complexity of the Alentejo wine region, and how the industry has been promoting and building the brand of Alentejo wine.  From “seasoning” to amphora, there’s plenty to get excited about with Alentejo and its wines!  Detailed Show Notes: João’s backgroundFamily is in agriculture and farmingJoão is a wine loverWorked in food retailingLived in Italy and Latin AmericaSogrape backgroundFounded in 1942 by Fernando van Zeller Guedes and launched with Mateus RoseA family business where they work as a professional teamCombination of concept wines (e.g. - Mateus) and fine wine estates (e.g. - Barca Velha, Sandeman)Mateus Rose - Sogrape’s founder said it had to stand outUnique bottle shape - shaped after WWI cantil (soldiers’ water bottles)The label has a picture of a manor house in North of Portugal, which was to look like a French chateauPortuguese Wine HistoryEarly-mid 1990’s - Portugal joined the EU, lots of investment in the wine industry and a surge in domestic demand2005-2010 era - a lot of modernization happened in the wine industry2010+ - a boom in tourism in Portugal led to a boom in demand for Portuguese wineCovid - demand for Portuguese wines did not dipAlentejo as a wine regionSouth of Lisbon, between Lisbon and the Algarve (a beach area popular for tourists)The same size as the state of Maryland, but with only 700,000 people - a sparsely populated farming areaOne of the last areas dominated by the Moors (until the 13th century)Traditionally the breadbasket of Portugal, lots of cereal, grain growingDry, warm climate (>100F in summer)During Roman times, made wine in clay amphora to preserve temperature during fermentation8 sub-regionsPortalegre  - north part of the region, the influence of the mountains (a colder, wet climate)Eastern area near Spanish border - very dry, arid, pre-phylloxera vineyardsA mosaic of soil types, climates, and grape varietiesThe notion of “seasoning” important in the region (e.g., using small amounts of different grapes varieties to blend)Grape varieties - a mix of traditional and internationalTraditional - Aragones (Tempranillo), Trincadera, Moretto, Arinto, Tourigal NationalInternational - Syrah, Alicante Bouschet - the star of the regionVinho de Talha - wine made in the traditional Roman way in clay amphora, the only region in Portugal that has this regulationWine style - fruit-forward, rounded tanninsCurrent consumers - wine explorers and hedonists who know what they likeAlentejo Wine ConsumptionDomestic - 80%Export - 20%Brazil - 30%US, France, Poland, Switzerland - ~10% eachCanada, UK, Angola, China - ~5% eachEntry-level pricing ~$7-9 USDThe sweet spot is ~$20 USD to really show terroirMarketing messagesA unique, single message (especially for US/UK markets) - “taste of the last frontier of European wine,” a pristine regionBrazil - talk more about individual producers as people already know AlentejoJournalists / somms - talk more about winemaking techniques, bringing people to PortugalConsumers - the experience at the estate or virtually tends to grab themBroad / “Generic” promotion - through Wines of Portugal and CVRA (Alentejo region wine marketing body)Invests in trade fairs (e.g., Prowein, Vinexpo) which helpHerdade do Peso - invests in social mediaBeing closer to the distributor (and owning them) helps - has been important to the success of brandsHerdade do Peso, a Sogrape winerySogrape’s founder believed he could change the Alentejo industryIntroduced Alicante Bouschet to the region, blended it with Touriga Nacional“A mix of man’s ingenuity, dream of a family, and the natural conditions found there”16 soil types, 160ha of vineyardsUse clay amphora to season wines, but no pure Vinho de TalhaWine positioningEntry-level, single estate - ~$20 USDReserva, a blend of blocks with the best expression, can ageEssencia - block series, best block of each yearIcon - only been produced twice in 30 years, the highest expression of the grapeAnother wine (collaborating with others) in the worksClimate change - brought back Gobelet training, new grape varieties, use water from the artificial lake to protect plants against extreme weather Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Ura-what?, Ura-where?”  Selling Uruguayan Tannat has many challenges, recognizing both the country and the signature variety not well known globally.  However, Christian Wylie, General Manager of Bodega Garzón, and owner Alejandro Bulgheroni have risen to the challenge.  So much so that the late, famed wine writer Steven Spurrier once said that “Garzón achieved iconic status in less than a decade.”  Hear all about the journey for Garzón and Uruguayan Tannat in general on this episode of XChateau. Detailed Show Notes: Christian’s backgroundChilean from a British familyStudied agricultural engineering in Chile and enology at UC DavisHe was a hands-on winemaker for a whileAn entrepreneur with fresh herbsMet an Uruguayan woman and got married to her - started the connection with UruguayWorked at Familia Deicas (Uruguay, 6 years), Santa Carolina Group (Chile; 11 years) - turned it around and grew it 3xJoined Bulgheroni Estates in 2016Now has 21 wine estates in 6 countriesGarzon is the headquartersBodega Garzón OverviewGarzón is a place in the NE part of the Maldonado provinceBulgheroni bought land in Uruguay in 1999-2000, started with olive trees and olive oil2006 - bought hills above olive trees for windmills, but Bulgeroni’s wife vetoed it2007 - Alberto Antonini comes and suggests vineyards would be good 34.8० S latitude - the same as Apalta in Chile, Barossa in Australia, and Stellenbosch in South Africa2008 - Vineyards planted~600 acres of vineyards divided into 1,500 lots>20 different grape varieties, but mainly Tannat and AlbarinoAtlantic ocean influenceGranite soils vs. clay in other Uruguayan winegrowing regions2016 - Winery opened 5-acre building on the top of the hill1st LEED-certified winery in the world~100 euro/liter winery capacity cost to build (very high)~$200M in Capex, 120k cases of wine producedHas a PGA tour preferred golf courseUruguayan Wine6,000 ha / ~15,000 acres planted, but mostly table winesGarzón represents ~20% of VCP (premium wines)Exports ~5-10% for most producers, Garzón exports ~67%300 wineries, ~60 VCP wineries, ~25 actively exportingTannat - the national grapeOriginally from Madiran, France“Survival of the Fittest” likely reason for becoming national grape in Uruguay - hot and humid climate did not do well for other dry climate European varieties, Tannat likely had better yieldsThe name comes from the tannins, has the most polyphenols (2.3-2.4x more Resveratrol than Cabernet Sauvignon)Traditional style - big, rustic, tannic, but easier to drink than Madiran; usually overripe fruit, heavy extraction, and lots of oak (heavy toast, American)Garzón Tannat - more fruity, fresh, vibrant; minimal intervention, some carbonic, cold soak, unlined cement fermentation, large vat French oakOther varieties: Marselan (lots in China, now an approved Bordeaux variety), MerlotKey markets for TannatGarzón - Uruguay (~40% of premium wine is Garzon), US, Brazil the three top; export to >50 countries (Nordics, Japan, UK, Canada, Netherlands other key markets; Growing markets - China, S Korea, Singapore, Russia, & Mexico)Uruguay in general - Brazil #1 (mostly low priced, bulk wine)Garzón portfolioEstate = entry-level, mostly sold domesticallyReserva = higher tier based on the quality of grapes, Single Vineyard = areas w/in estate, ~$30 USDPetite Clos = 1 specific parcel, ~$70 USDBalasto = top wine, ~$100 USD in the US, ~$200 in UruguayNamed after the decomposed graniteBlend of the best reds of different parcels3rd wine from South America sold via La Place de BordeauxMarketing Tannat & Garzón“Taste first, then say what it is”Started Wines of Uruguay 20 years ago, but wines didn’t sell because no one had heard of it, needed to promote everybodyConsumers - banked heavily on social media - has ~80k followers on InstagramCreated a dynamic websiteTrade (e.g. - MS/MW) - “reverse mission” - bring them to GarzónPR - Glodow Nead - has brought Playboy, Architecture magazine, Robb Report, NY TimesWine Critics - great scores from James Suckling, Wine & Spirits, Decanter, Wine Enthusiast’s 2018 New World Winery of the Year - consumers need the 3rd party validationDuring pandemic - keeping the brand alive w/ 100s of “zooms” and webinars Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the first time, European wineries can have direct relationships with customers, and lovers of many European wineries can consistently secure access to their favorite wines via the VinConnect platform.  Founder and President, Kevin Sidders, explains how VinConnect works, tells us some of the unique, rare wines that have been offered, and all the reasons how VinConnect benefits their winery partners.  Not a new way of buying wine, but bringing the American direct-to-consumer experience to European wineries. This episode is sponsored by Sonoma State University’s Wine Executive MBA program.  A 17-month, transformative program that builds leadership skills and business acumen focused on the specific needs of the world of wine.  Learn more about SSU’s Wine MBA programs here.  If this is something you’re considering, the next Global Wine Executive MBA session’s enrollment deadline is June 30, 2021, for courses starting in October!! Detailed Show Notes: Kevin’s backgroundLived in the Bay Area 25-30 years ago, discovered wine and joined mailing lists of California wineriesWas in the finance industryVinConnect founding - 10 years agoStruggled to buy and collect wines from EuropeWas on mailing lists in California and wanted the same experience for European winesVinConnect Customer ExperienceJust like signing up for a US mailing listSign up, get offers, have wine shipped to youVinConnect works as an extension of the winery, a facilitatorKey benefitsConvenience, consistent access - “never miss a vintage,” which Kevin experience himself with Domaine du PegauRelationship / communications direct from the winerySpecial treatment in hospitalityProvenance - authentic and shipping through winery approved channels (in good condition)Occasionally special goods - unique wines (including a never release bottling from Chateau Musar, formats, vintages, library winesLogisticsSupports planning, strategy, and pricing with wineries - wineries decide how they want to operate their program (communications, offers, etc…)2 models for buyingSingle national importer - who sells to distributors, then retailersVinConnect buys from importerDirect to distributors - winery may have ~30 relationships in US VinConnect buys from winery directlyAllocations - depends on the winery, some have purchase limits, some do notWine Clubs - a couple wineries run clubs on the VinConnect platformEach winery list is separate, no cross communicationWhen a new winery launches on VinConnect, all customers are notified that they have the ability to sign up - this is the only communication to all customersTypes of wineries that fit - high profile presence in US, flagship winery of their region - platform is more useful when the brand has a consumer presenceHow Consumers sign upThe winery - visits in hospitality (most European wineries haven’t been as good at this), signups via winery website, social media driving to mailing listVinConnect website - can sign up for all lists via the websiteGoogle advertisingBenefits for wineriesThey can’t do this themselves in USCreates communication channel with consumersCan create in-market events w/ consumersHave access to all customer data (via dashboard portal)65 winery partners as of April 2021 Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Robert & Peter started the XChateau Wine Business podcast, the idea was to try and build a community around the business of wine. Part of that has been engaging with our listeners, as well as our guests. While it has happened on an ad hoc basis, we wanted to do it more proactively for our 50th Episode / One Year Anniversary.  We recorded our 50th episode live on Clubhouse to have a broader interaction with former guests (Juliana Colangelo, Lauren McPhate, and Maureen Downey), other guest partners (Barb Tyree from Repour and Tess Roche from WineBid) as well as listeners.  We covered topics around the current status of re-opening in the US, an update on the fine wine market, favorite episodes, and ideas for future episodes.  Listen in and let us know what you think! This episode is sponsored by Sonoma State University’s Wine Executive MBA program.  A 17-month, transformative program that builds leadership skills and business acumen focused on the specific needs of the world of wine.  Learn more about SSU’s Wine MBA programs here.  If this is something you’re considering, the next Global Wine Executive MBA session’s enrollment deadline is June 30, 2021, for courses starting in October!!  Special Announcement:  Repour, one of our sponsors, has also created a special discount for XChateau listeners through May 21, 2021.  Use the code: XChateau on the Repour website and get 20% off for both retail and wholesale orders!  If you haven’t heard of Repour, find out all about it in Episode 24, where CEO Tom Lutz gives us all the details. Detailed Show Notes: This  episode was recorded live on May 4, 2021, on the Clubhouse platformUS Covid business updates and trendsLots of open jobs right now, especially in hospitality, the US is recovering from Covid quicklyJuliana Colangelo (Colangelo & Partners) - returning to normal media relations, going through a transition period with both in-person and virtual; a client is hiring a virtual tasting room manager, there will still be demand for virtual eventsBarb Tyree (Repour) - restaurants are coming back online quicklyNadine Brown (sommelier in DC) - retailers did well in DC during Covid, huge staffing issue in DCFine Wine Market updateLauren McPhate (Tribeca Wine Merchants) - in fine wine, people are still more adventurous with their purchases, buying new regions; the store in NYC re-opened a couple weeks ago; tariffs removed from Europe leading to buying again from Europe, but shipping is the big issue currentlyMaureen Downey (Chai Consulting) - wine collectors have drained their cellars, tariffs haven’t impacted buying at the very high end; Italian wines are trending, increased sale of counterfeits (e.g., Acker sold a counterfeit bottle of whiskey)Juliana Colangelo - more wineries selling back vintages from their libraryTess Roche (WineBid) - continuing to see lots of new wine buyers on WineBid, increase of younger buyers purchasing, more mobile orders, increase in unique wines that haven’t had much auction activity in the pastMaureen Downey - fine wine has always been bought site unseen, so online is “normal,” but people who would have bought in the grocery store before have moved onlineFavorite episodesIvonne Nill (listener, MW candidate) - loves specific examples for Master of Wine essays, e.g., Wine.com, Wine Australia, and Juliana Colangelo’s episode on Social Media InfluencersFuture episode ideasRoundtable discussion on global wine trendsConsumer-oriented brands discussing what’s working well for younger generationsBulk winesWine buying journey of wine collectorsCareer transitions into wineScoring publications and impactPersonalization/customization of wine buying Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Focused on helping the casual wine consumer buy better wine, Vivino has spent over 10 years building its database of wines, creating a structured tastings database, and network of merchants to make buying better wine more convenient.  Heini Zachariassen, founder and CEO, tells us about the journey, what Vivino is up to today, and where it’s going.  A must-listen for anyone interested in wine.  Detailed Show Notes: Heini’s backgroundborn in the Faroe Islands, with only ~50,000 people and no wineAn entrepreneur into technologyHe got the idea for Vivino from “seeing a wall of wine and not knowing what to buy”Vivino’s core challenge - buying wine is difficult. Vivino wants to help people drink better wine and know what to buy at stores through rating every single wine out there1st slogan - “Never forget another wine” - because Vivino didn’t have the database to do more than capturing the winesWith the database, you can now say if the wine is good and what else you might likeRatings with at least 10-20 ratings are highly correlated with expert ratingsUsers - 50M total users~20k users every day, ~10M users every month, ~20-25M active users every year (% of active relatively constant over time)Top 3 areas of interest for consumers - #1 ratings, #2 price, #3 what does the wine taste likeA lot of people rate - 15-20% of scans rate the wine, 6-7% of scans review the wineApp use is 50/50 exploring wine (out somewhere looking at wines) and drinking wines (mostly at home, but could be restaurants, etc.…)“Featured users” are pushed in the community. Some have 50-100k followersThe target audience is always the casual wine drinker firstLaunched taste characteristics - a structured tasting note (both wine structure and tasting profile), uses AI to get the data into the systemAI recommendations (“Match for You”) - gives a % on the wine of how likely you’ll like it, leveraging structured tastingMarketplace700 merchants on the platform, 50% in the US, from small retailers to Wine.comSell in 17 countries right nowToday only a small % (single digits) buy wines through the app - he believes there is a big upsideFully integrated w/ Vivino, users can use Google and Apple PayMoney goes directly to the merchants, Vivino bills a marketing feeLocation matched by merchant's ability to ship to the location, the app only shows things you can buyCan now search for styles of wine based on structured tasting notesWine sales - ~50% are pull (people looking for specific wines), ~50% are push (primarily surfacing what the app says is great value for money)Sales can be 1,000s of bottles to 100,000s of bottles for the launch of Post Malone’s Rose in a few daysRevenue StreamsThe marketplace is the biggestSponsorships - newer revenue stream, for wineries - don’t directly push wineries, but make them look better when people come across them (e.g., show them a video when they scan the wine), provide data analytics to the wineries (based on Looker connecting to Vivino data), do campaign follow up (e.g., get an email about the brand after drinking the wine)No ads - always want to show what Vivino thinks is the best wine for youRecently raised $155M round D (2021)Vivino is currently ~200 people, looking to expand, particularly product engineeringWant to expand into more geographiesDo more marketing - today, only spend 1.5% of GMV (gross merchandise value) on marketingVivino vs. Delectable - Delectable was more focused on somms and wine influencers, which kept them on the platform, but pushed away from the casual wine consumer and felt very “insider” vs. Vivino focused on the casual wine consumerVivino vs. Wine-Searcher - Vivino values convenience more. Wine-Searcher focused on higher-end wines, looking for specific bottles of wine and where to buy it, don’t do transactionsVivino vs. Drizly - the focus is on convenience for delivery, has a network of 1,000s of retailers, faster and less concerned about what exactly the product is, Vivino more focused on wine exploration and ratings Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Having gone through the most difficult period in history with an unprecedented shutdown during the Covid pandemic, restaurants and their sommeliers and beverage directors are in a new world and need to evolve.  Mia Van de Water MS, of Cote Korean Steakhouse and the United Sommeliers Foundation, explains everything that has happened in the world of wine and restaurants.  From the scandals at the Court of Master Sommeliers to the pivots restaurants have done during Covid to the work of the United Sommeliers Foundation, Mia takes us through the many evolutions and the future of sommeliers. Special Announcement: XChateau Live!When Robert & Peter started XChateau, the idea was to try and build a community around the business of wine. Part of that has been engaging with our listeners, as well as our guests. While it has happened on an ad hoc basis, for our 50th Episode / 1 Year Anniversary, we wanted to do it more proactively.  So, we'll be doing a live podcast on Clubhouse‬ and we hope our listeners join! We'll also have some former guests including Lauren McPhate, Juliana Colangelo, MBA. Details:Tues May 4th, 12-1pm PSTLink: https://www.joinclubhouse.com/event/mJDAOoYbDetailed Show Notes: A 20-year career in restaurants started in high schoolLearned how to talk about wine from distributor rep trainingsRead Setting the Table, worked at Union Square Cafe and North End Grill for 9 years, became sommelier and beverage director at North EndShe spent 3 years at Eleven Madison Park for the ultra-fine dining experienceDuring Covid - worked retail with Whole Foods and other retailNow works with Victoria James at Cote Korean SteakhouseBecame a Master Sommelier from the Court of Master Sommeliers (“CMS”) in 2018Part of the class that had to retake the tasting exam from the “Cheating” Scandal in Sept 2018“Cheating” Scandal was when an examiner released info via email about two wines on the exam to some candidates but was unsolicited, so candidates weren’t “cheating”She re-took the exam in Dec 2018 and passedBLM / sexual harassment scandals - has discouraged many people from taking the CMS routeCurrently on the Board of the CMSThe CMS started as a fraternal brotherhood of wine geeksToday - trying to re-orient the focus off the membership and onto the candidates -> building towards a better, more inclusive, safer, and a more engaging experienceThe definition of a beverage director and sommelierKey qualities - leadership and hospitalityService is a critical component of the job - should be excellent at bussing tables, running food, etc.…Job is to build relationships with guests, creating magical experiences from the beginning to the endThe Beverage director is also responsible for the financial health of the beverage program, which is the health of the restaurantPennsylvania - restaurants need to buy wine at the same price as consumers from the state liquor store -> has driven a lot of BYO“Dollars trump cost of goods”Mia’s strategy is to encourage people to buy more wine than they would otherwiseStill need a COGS engine, which is usually the BTG program (higher margin)Encourages people to purchase a bottlePre-2020 trends (more NY oriented)BTG prices had gone up substantiallyTons of new fancy, a la carte restaurants being openedEveryone needed a fancy craft cocktail programLarger wine listsMore floor sommeliersNatural wine was popularCovid pivotsCNN reported 110,000 (17%) restaurants closed in the US in 2020Bev to go: Retail bottle sales, wine by the glass in small bottles, blind tasting kitsThe United Sommeliers FoundationFounded by Chris Blanchard and Christie NormanAim to financially assist floor sommeliers during the restaurant shutdownExpanded to general wine and beverage industry folks in restaurantsRaised money via auctions and donations from people and wineriesRaised ~$1MTwo types of grants$500 base grants - granted to ~1,000 people, sized to avoid tax liability“Grand Cru Scholarships” - paid expenses directly to creditorsApplications still open for those in needHope to continue to live on post-pandemic -> in the process of trying to identify what the future purpose will beSommelier role going forwardEveryone needs to wear more hatsSomms need to become more financially savvy Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Too often known as just a value sparkling wine, Cava makes some of the world’s finest traditional-method sparkling wines. Ones that Javier Pagés, President of D.O. Cava, would like to see drunk on more occasions, especially with food. Javier gives us an overview of the Cava region, how it builds brand ambassadors across the globe, and how “Cava elevates every meal” on this episode of XChateau. Detailed show notes: Javier’s backgroundStarted as a wine salesperson, including in the US (both East Coast and San Francisco) with importers, distributors (e.g., Southern Glazers)Was a sales director and then CEO of a Cava company (Codorniu)CavaD.O. specialized in 1 thing - sparkling wine in the traditional methodCava is named for the underground cellars where the wine is agedVarietals used - Xarel-lo, Macabeo, Parellada, Chardonnay, & Pinot Noir; Trepat and Grenache for red varieties for rose4 main regions for CavaCatalunya - the main region, has 4 sub-regionsValencia / Levante - Eastern SpainExtremadura - Southwest SpainEbro River Valley2 Cava quality levelsCava de Guarda - aged for at least 9 months on leesCava de Guarda Superior - aged for more than 18 months on leesAllowed to use sub-appellation namesIncludes Reserva, Gran Reserva, and Paraje Calificado levelsCava is the most exported wine in Spain70% in 2020, up from 60% previouslyIncrease due to pandemic (on-premise and tourism down dramatically in Spain in 2020)Top markets:Europe - top 3 = Belgium, UK, Germany; other important markets = Netherlands, Nordics, France, Russia, SwitzerlandGermany - very price sensitiveUK - very competitive due to grocery stores, independent retailers allow for some more expensive CavasNorth America - US (4th major market, ~20M bottles imported), Canada (11th biggest market)Asia - Japan a major market, China hasn’t fallen in love with sparkling wines yet; S Korea, Taiwan, Hong KongLatin America - Brazil is a major marketAustralia - #22 market and growingA major challenge for Cava - making it better known and agreed that Cava is a quality sparkling wine vs. only a value wineTrying to increase consumer occasions for consuming Cava - current push is for more food pairing - “Cava elevates every meal” website mentions pairing with Mexican foodD.O. Cava’s mission - to add value to all membersAdapt the region to today’s consumersDifferent products for different consumers and different momentsCertify and track that what’s on the label is true, provide traceabilityConducts consumer studies - measure the health of the Cava brand, understand consumer desiresD.O. Cava’s membersMade up of production side (vineyard people, growers) and wineries12 person board - 6 from vineyards, 6 from wineriesMembers pay a fee to D.O. based on hectares of vineyards or bottles soldMembership is optionalMarketing Cava to different audiencesJournalists - important to bring them to where the action is, want to know everything - the process, story, etc.…Trade - more about educating them so they can sell the wine - webinars, wine academy courseConsumers - more impulsive, emotional connections, giving them experiences and sharing the wine through events and visiting the wineriesMost successful marketing campaign - Wine Cava AcademyCreates wine ambassadors for CavaContains different modules - production, regions, tasting profiles, wine pairings, etc.…Use well-known professionals (e.g., MWs, journalists) to teach coursesGet a certificate at the end of the courseUS marketing campaign - 360 Degrees of CavaA multi-pronged marketing campaign where the elements support each otherEducational elements for consumers - masterclasses, tastingsPressSocial mediaTactical advertising Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Family-owned, diverse, and artisan are the key messages for Sonoma County wines, according to Michael Haney, Executive Director of Sonoma County Vintners. When people hear about the diversity of Sonoma wines around the world, they want to know more! Michael takes us through the global situation of Sonoma wines, the events they put on, and how their foundation supports the entire Sonoma County community. Listen in for a peek into the diversity of Sonoma and how it markets its wines. Detailed Show Notes: Background on Sonoma County1 hour from San Francisco>1M acres with only 6% planted to vines, a lot of forest and pastureland18 different AVA’s - lots of diverse growing climates85% family ownedLots of diversity - 18 growing regions, 60 varietals, and diversity within varietals (e.g., Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast vs. Russian River Valley)Key Message of Sonoma Wine - family-owned, small, artisanal winemaking, diversity, and quality of the winesThe diversity message creates intrigue, “people want to know more”They use the same message regardless of geographySonoma County Vintners (“SCV”)Mission - be a leading voice for the Sonoma wine community3 main areas - trade association, event production, and charitable foundationSuccess = meeting the challenges of the wine community and the community as a wholePart of “The Trio” - Sonoma County Vintners (focused on wineries), Sonoma County Winegrowers (focused on vineyards), and Sonoma Tourism (collaborate together on marketing and consumer engagement)Also partners with the Sonoma County Farm BureauCollaboration with Sonoma sub-regional bodiesSCV has 15 committees, with members of the groups from the regional bodies (e.g., Russian River Winegrowers)Help other organizations with political advocacyHelp promote the story of the growing regionMembers - 75% of the ~500 wineries in Sonoma CountyRange from mom and pop winery to large wineriesMost are also a member of another sub-regional bodyAffiliate Members - e.g., barrel, legal, HR companies - who want to support the wine communityBusiness modelMembership fees - based on cases soldEvent participation - Barrel Auction - trade event that raises money for SCVSponsorship and partnership programFoundation - mostly funded through charity auction (Sept), raised $6.1M in 2019International interest spiking for Sonoma wine, especially Pinot Noir, mostly Asia (incl Hong Kong), Netherlands, Canada, MexicoSCV EventsBarrel Auction - trade-focusedCharity Auction - for consumers, in the fallTaste of Sonoma - was 2,500 people pre-pandemicVirtual events during the pandemicMarketing Tools & PlanNeed a comprehensive approachIt covers all bases - social media (incl influencers), print, panels/webinars, etc...Media engagement - both w/in Sonoma and out in local marketsNew consumer engagement - “Road Trip” - put together a playlist for those going to visit Sonoma wineriesImproving and best practices for marketing/eventsSurvey consumers and incorporate feedbackDid a focus group that had 25 suggestions, 24 of which were implementedBest practices for events - listen to those involved, create a collaborative plan (including sponsors, community leaders, wineries, etc.…)E.g., Taste of SonomaWas Labor Day WeekendWineries said it was hard b/c it overlapped w/ harvest. Consumers said it was too warmChanges implemented -> covered the entire area wines were served and now looking at moving the event to June or the Summer to not be during harvestPivots during CovidA virtual auction last MayVirtual continuing education seriesHelped organize 1,000s of vaccines for winery workersBelieves there will be a hybrid model (both virtual and in-person) post-pandemicFoundationFounded in 1988, more active in the last 5 yearsRaised >$37M to date, all the money stays in Sonoma CountySupported >85 different non-profits in 2020 with $4M of cash donationsAlso did food drives, supported restaurant workers, and a variety of other causes Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While “cheap and cheerful” might have been an apt description of Australian wine 20 years ago when Yellowtail was the #1 wine brand in the US, “Made our Way” is the new Australian marketing campaign that emphasizes the complexities and innovation of the modern Australian wine industry.  Aaron Ridgway, Regional GM of the Americas for Wine Australia, tells us about how they are “complexifying” and “re-mystifying” Australian wine, showcasing the substantial innovation, 100 different grape varieties, and extreme regional variations in growing climates.  Listen in for the journey of Australian wine through decades and regions of the world. Detailed Show Notes: Australian WineHas been a big wine exporter since the 1980s~2M tons of grapes per year (smaller than the US)A$3B of wine exported to 150 countries (A$450M to the US)Old vines (including some own-rooted ones), 100 varieties grown, 65 wine regions make the country unique and diverseLots of climate diversity - cool climates, deserts, wetter and drier regions200 years of winemaking historyYellowtail, which was launched in 2000, was the #1 wine brand in the US for a whileWine salesAffordable wine demand has remained, but higher-end wines have grown2x the sales of >$10/bottle in 2020 than in 2017Peak Australian wine sales around 2007-2008, many Australian wines were sold out and flying off the shelvesTop Export MarketsNorth America (US, Canada) - growing mid-single digitsCanada - 24% market share; Canada is behind the curve in terms of what’s new and exciting (vs. the US)UK - up 30%; 80% of sales is bulk wine, very price competitive marketChina (was big, major importing challenges right now)Wine Australia messagingGlobal message - Australian wine is diverse and excitingThe goal is the complexify and re-mystify Australian wine - pushing stories of individuals and the many diverse wine regions vs. Australia as a single categoryCurrent strengths - natural wines (from the strength of character and experimentation) and innovation (e.g., 19 Crimes Augmented Reality, Penfolds’ California Collection, new packaging)E.g., Ochota Barrels - a story of a “new classic”Experience with very commercial wineries globally, including Two Hands in AustraliaA punk rocker who bought a vineyard in the Adelaide HillsThey make unique wines with contemporary packagingWine Australia organizationMission - make Australian wine more competitive globally, want to raise the average priceTagline / PR Campaign  - “Australian Wine, Made our Way”Fighting the sense of “sameness” in wine marketingMore drone photography, scenes where the desert meets the ocean, tannin stains under the fingernailsSuccess?  Driving organic growth, both in volume and price The US has 3 priorities1) Digitally nimble in education - Australia Wine Discovered - customizable, fully downloadable library of wine content, including educator guides2) Business Development - help retailers, wholesalers, chain restaurants - with staff education, programming3) Market Entry - only ~20% of Australian wines are in the US marketMajor marketing techniquesTry to match the content and level of detail with what the audience is seeking“Australia Decanted”Trade education conference in Lake Tahoe (2018-2019)100 people each yearThe location chosen because no wine was made there, can focus without distraction, and it's much closer than AustraliaIt changes people's minds, creates a more spiritual connection with Australian wineMany alumni of the program go out to talk about Australian wineGlobal blind tastings - to focus on match in the glass, 8 Australian wines, and 4 global wines of the same varietyTechniques vary by marketCanada - focused on exploration and increasing the range of wines available with the provincial monopoliesUK - white glove, fine wine, trade-focused (as most of the sales are bulk)China - focused on consumers, 10s of millions of interested consumers - lots of local educators to deliver the messages (leveraging Australian Wine Discovered)Germany - mostly trade education Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“You gotta be a little crazy to plant vines in New York,” Sam Filler of the New York Wine & Grape Foundation tells us.  Yet, New York is the third-largest wine-producing state after California and Washington. It showcases a diversity of high quality, cool and cold climate wine growing regions, such as the Finger Lakes, Long Island, and Niagara.  Sam gives us an overview of wine (and juice grape growing) in New York and tells us about how the foundation supports its members by building the brand of New York Wine, its winegrowing regions, and  primarily family businesses that make it up.  Special Announcement: "Be the Change is hosting a virtual job fair on April 22nd for the beverage alcohol industry. Registration is now open for all employers at bethechangejobfair.com. Sign up to connect with up to 1,000 jobseekers.  This is an equal opportunity job fair, open to all."Detailed Show Notes: New York Wines470 wineries, ~100 vinifera producingMostly family-owned wineries#3 in US wine production behind CA and WA$6.65B in economic impact supports 72,000 jobs~40,000 acres planted, 11 AVA’sHas a diversity of climates - maritime (Long Island), river influenced (Hudson Valley), great lakes (Finger Lakes)Main AVA’sFinger Lakes - Riesling; lots of winegrowing history; 1st wine trail (1983), Pleasant Valley Winery founded in 1860 - 1st US bonded wineryNiagara - could be a leading Pinot Noir regionLong Island - debate on the signature grape, Merlot the base of Rose, Sauv Blanc, Cab Franc; the breeze from bodies of water reduce mildew pressureLake Erie - major Concord grape growing region for Welch’s grape juice, Double A Vineyards nursery an important player; Riesling, Traminette (like Gewurztraminer)Hudson Valley - Cab Franc focused, 500 acres plantedFinger Lakes and Long Island recognized both locally and globallyMain varietalsRiesling - grown in most regions, biggest in Finger LakesCab Franc - grown in many partsChardonnay - Finger Lakes, Lake Erie, Long Island; more Chablis style winePinot Noir - big for sparkling wine productionUnifying elements of New York winesCool climate, mainly driven by family businessesDefined by bodies of water that surround the regionsPersonalized hospitality (elevated with Covid, e.g., Macari Vineyards glamping tents)NY Wine & Grape FoundationEstablished in 1985 by state law - to lead promotion and research efforts for the stateAssociated with Cornell University and various programs, including the wine analytics labIncludes juice grapes (⅔ of vines planted in the state) - Welch’s a key partner for viticulture research; very limited table grapes in the stateSuccess for the foundation is building the capacity of the industry - e.g., getting DTC online, improved websites, connections to customers, and maintaining relationshipsMembers are mostly “farm wineries” (a legal term that means wineries use 100% NY grapes), grape growers, and business partnersState provides baseline funding for infrastructure, receive some matching funds for research, and some membership duesWorking with other local wine marketing groupsUsed to fund some marketing materialsNow co-sponsor events and collaborate closely with the local marketing bodiesGeographic FocusNew York City is the #1 focusChicago and Florida also important; PA difficult b/c of the liquor control boardSome export but need to find the right nicheMarketing efforts and programsNY wine ~70% sold out of tasting room - hospitality keyFor markets w/in a 5-hour drive of NY state, NY is the #1 destination to visitTourism sales did well in Covid with people traveling locally (less visitation, but higher sales/visitor)Building more online presence (e.g., Macari vineyards dialed in their wine club program during Covid)Virtual tastings helping broaden the geographic reachThey did some advertising on Levi Dalton’s I’ll Drink to That podcast and now with SevenFifty to reach the trade audienceThe key effort is in keeping consumers engaged with wineriesBelieves telling the individual stories of wineries is compelling, potentially more than having a signature grapeMost effective marketing - when people can connect in person, started experimenting with incorporating local elements in trade tours (e.g., state park visits, walk-around tastings with a meal, more curated events vs. bussing around to many wineries)NY State Wine messagingUsed to be “Uncork New York”Now “Boldly New York” - embodies the risk-taking spirit across the state, “gotta be a little crazy to plant vines in New York”Vision - To be the world’s greatest cool and cold climate grape-growing regionNY wine investmentPaul Hobbs started a winery in the Finger Lakes focusing on RieslingThe trend has mostly been family wineries buying other family-owned wineries - the industry is investing in itself Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Used to celebrate the drafting of the US Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, Madeira wines are the ultimate in American wines, though not made in America.  Originating from shipping goods from Europe to America and being born from wines traveling that route, it became the most prominent wine in the US pre-prohibition.  History, culture, and the wines' versatility benefited their relaunch in the 1990s by Bartholomew Broadbent, Owner of Broadbent Selections, which imports an array of wines from emerging regions and has its own line of Madeiras, Ports, and other wines.  Learn more about the history and the journey of reintroducing a long-lost style of wine back to America in this episode of XChateau. This episode is sponsored by Repour, the simple, effective way to preserve your wine...without planning ahead.  Extensively used by top sommeliers, wineries, and wine students, Repour prevents wasted wine and saves money.  Please find out more at repour.com and listen to Episode 24, where CEO Tom Lutz gives us all the details on Repour.  Detailed Show Notes: Bartholomew’s background in wineSon of Michael Broadbent (led wine auctions for Christie’s, Decanter Magazine writer for decades, & leading wine author)Went to Australia at 18 to work harvest, Cognac as a tour guide, worked in wine at Harrod’s in London and at Harvey’s Fine WinesHe moved to Toronto and met the Symington Family, where he spent 10 years teaching about Port & Madeira, based out of San FranciscoHe married a Virginia girl and now lives in VirginiaBroadbent SelectionsFounded in 1996The goal was to create their own brand of Port & MadeiraStarted an import company as well, which focused on emerging wine regions, including: Portugal (now just the Broadbent brands)South Africa (e.g., Eben Sadie)New Zealand (e.g., Spy Valley)Chateau Musar from LebanonGusbourne from EnglandBroadbent wines include Madeira, Port, Vinho Verde (single biggest selling wine), Douro, and Gruner Veltliner from AustriaMadeiraIt was the biggest selling wine in the US until ProhibitionInvented through shipping to America from Europe, ships stopped in Madeira (600 miles off the coast of Africa / Morocco) to re-stock; when wines accidentally made it back to Madeira and went through two journeys by sea, the wines tasted better through the heatingNow the wine style is a cooked and fortified wineLots of history around Madeira - the wine used to celebrate the Constitution and Declaration of Independence, was on the table w/ Betsy Ross sewed the American flagBenefited from a tax loophole, when the King taxed all European goods going to America, it did not cover MadeiraDestruction of the Madeira marketPhylloxera - destroyed lots of vinesProhibition - Prior, 95% of the wine was sent to the US, 5% to the UK and RussiaUpon appeal of Prohibition, shipping had improved and no longer needed to stop in Madeira for suppliesRe-launch of Madeira in the US - Bartholomew relaunched in 1989 with the SymingtonsProduction8 producers of Madeira on the island, who buy grapes from ~1,000 growersVines mostly grown on trellises with other crops underneath (there aren’t a lot of vineyards to see and visit)Two types of heating methodsEstufa - artificial heating in tanks, 3 months at 115F, mostly for the 3-5-year-old styles of winesCanteiro / Traditional - left in attics of buildings to heat; Broadbent ages in 3 locations - attic, ground floor, and basement to blend and get more complexity8 producers make lots of different brands, Broadbent made by Justino’sIsland producers ~100,000 cases/year of drinking Madeira (vs. cooking Madeira), Justino’s ~55%, Henriques & Henriques ~20%Grape varieties3 red grapes (~80%) - Tinta Negra7 white grapes - incl Sercial (grown in hills, ripens less and more acidic), Verdelho, Boal, MalmseyBoth name of grapes and style of winesDrier Madeiras partly made by adding brandy later in fermentationRainwater - needs to be a lighter styleVintage  or Frasqueira Madeira - needs to be aged for 20 years before release, at least 19 years in cask and 1 year in bottle, but bottles  the word “Vintage”  does not appear on the  label as that is trademarked by PortColheita - min 5 years of ageSelling Madeira in the US~25k cases/year in the US, #2 or 3 market globallyEngland and Japan drink a lot of Madeira, Canada also a big marketThe slowdown of sales for Port in the late 1990’s - believes due to the rise of high alcohol wines and not leaving enough capacity for fortified wine at the end of dinnerMadeira appeals to the intellect, stories tied to US history, the beauty of island and tourism, and versatility of the wine due to acidity (pairs with anything)No specific demographics for MadeiraOlder, rarer wines sold mostly at restaurantsMannie Berk of Rare Wine Company also started a Madeira brand and has done a good job of educating consumersSherry market has improved due to mixology and cocktail culture, Spanish restaurants (e.g., tapas) have also helped support itPricing of rare Madeiras has increased a lot, especially in the auction markets, as sales have depleted the stock on the islandBroadbent vs. other MadeirasMore elegance, considered one of the top brands made by Justino’sNamed in Wine & Spirits Top 100 wineries of the worldGreat sales team, including 2 Master Sommeliers, who help to sell into restaurants and retail Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. 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The hardest wine exam in the world, an elite community of >400 wine professionals, and learning how to engage with wine more.  All those elements are used to describe the Institute of Masters of Wine and the Master of Wine (“MW”) exam.  Mark de Vere MW tells us about how becoming an MW landed him a full-time job in Napa to all the rigors required to pass the MW exam.  A must listen to episode for those thinking of applying for the MW program or those who just love learning about challenging wine exams.  Detailed Show Notes: Mark’s backgroundHe grew up in Oxford, United KingdomStudied wines through a wine tasting group at universityWorked at a local wines shop in OxfordWorked harvest in Australia, did Wine & Spirit Education Trust (“WSET”) examsIn 1997, he had a summer job at Robert Mondavi, passed the Master of Wine exam during that time, and was hired on full time and still at Robert Mondavi / Constellation BrandsInstitute of Masters of Wine (“IMW”) backgroundCurrently, 418 Masters of Wine, >490 have passed the exam over timeStarted in 1953 in London as London was the most globally-focused wine trading hub in the world~20 people sat the exam in 1953, with 6 passing, was only open in the UK at that timeThe purpose was to measure who was a master of the overall wine trade1st non-UK residents were Australians and Americans who went to the UK to work and sit the examsNow a global institution - MWs in 30 countries, exam offered around the world (London, California, Australia), head office is still in LondonThe mission of the IMW - to promote excellence, interaction, and learning in the global wine tradeInteraction through tastings and the MW Symposium (held every 4 years)Excellence and learning through setting the MW examNot an educational organization like the WSETIMW vs. Court of Master Sommeliers (“CMS”)MS has a more laddered programs (i.e., more levels before the master level)MW has no practical, service elementMS exam is oral, MW is all writtenThe MW Study ProgramGoal: to help orient people to understand what the end goal is - to gain the depth and breadth of the challenge of the MW examNeed to know every step of the wine business, from the vineyard to wine landing on the table3 StagesStage 1 - 1st orientation to the program, has the Stage 1 assessment - proving you can understand the issues, 12 wines blind, 1 set of theory essaysStage 2 - preparation for the MW exam, which is 3 x 2.25-hour blind tasting exams with 12 wines each, 5 x timed theory examsStage 3 - research paper, developing something new for the world of wineThere are time limits for getting through the program now, ~5 years, with the goal of not getting people stuck in itPass Rate of the MW examUsed to say ~10% of people that sat the examHard to calculate a rate due to people who sit multiple times, and you can pass certain portions of the examIMW actively trying to increase the pass rate by making it more difficult to get in and sit the exam~15-20% of people who enter the program actually complete it; ~75-100 are admitted to the program each year and ~10-20 people become MWs each yearValue of the program, if you don’t complete is learning how to understand the issues around wine better, engaging with wine differently, and building communication skillsMore people are applying for the MW program and it’s becoming a more global programThe IMW and diversityThe exam is completely blind, making it unable to discriminate via gradingConduct outreach to all parts of the world to generate a diverse pool of candidates~150 female MWs todayBeing an MWTitles do carry some weight within the wine worldGot Mark a permanent job at Mondavi after being hired for only a seasonal positionJoin a community of MWs, where giving back to the wine world is one of the core tenets Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From its start as a way to build demand for French wines in the US to a global program with 100 approved program providers in 30 countries, the Wine Scholar Guild (“WSG”) is a theory-focused wine education program targeting the “committed students of wine.”  Lisa Airey, Education Director of the WSG, tells us about the different levels of the program, instructor online courses, and how the WSG fits into the wine education landscape.  This episode is sponsored by Repour, the simple, effective way to preserve your wine...without planning ahead.  Extensively used by top sommeliers, wineries, and wine students, Repour prevents wasted wine and saves money.  Find out more at repour.com and listen to Episode 24, where CEO Tom Lutz gives us all the details on Repour.  Detailed Show Notes: Lisa’s background - 13 years in wine wholesale sales, education director and interim executive director for the Society of Wine Educators (“SWE”), then joined the French Wine Scholar program, which is now the Wine Scholar GuildMet Julian Camus, the WSG President while at SWE, who was trying to help find importers to the US for French producersHe created the French Wine Society to build interest and love for French wine amongst consumersFWS events would have ~500 people and sell thousands of dollars of wine for each eventWSG founded in 2008 as the FWS program, an education and credential bodyBecame an advanced program right awayFor the “serious wine hobbyist” or “committed student of wine”100 program providers in 30 countriesDifferentiation vs. other wine education bodiesWSG is specialized in France, Italy, and Spain, the 3 largest producing countries in EuropeOther programs are more generalist / globalSWE is more of a membership program with study and certification. WSG is more study/certification with membership as a sidebarExams are 100% theory - 100 questions multiple-choice (75% is passing, with honors and highest honors)WSG fills the niche of some self-study courses like WSET Diploma and Master of Wine with detailed study materials3 Course typesClassroom - instructor-led, taste along in classInstructor Online - live instruction online, if you miss a class, you can go back and replay it on-demandIndependent Study - for self-motivated who can’t make the schedules workScholar vs. Master level coursesFrench Wine Scholar coursebook is 274 pages just on French winesMaster Level programs are 125-375 pages on 1 region (Bourgogne is the largest)Master programs can be important for people in the industry that need that level of expertise for their jobsStudy tripsSome for educators and approved program providersStudy immersion trips - open to the public, have top names as hosts (e.g., Andrew Jefford), that can open doorsDigital ProgramsWent digital early in order to go globalBenefits of online learning - no travel, parking, easy to miss a session and catch upPartnered with Coravin to have a discount for members so students can purchase wine and not have to pop a corkMembershipTo foster continuous learning after programs4 webinars / month, with 150+ on-demandPronunciation programsDiscounts on Coravin, 10% off education programsCosts $100/yearScholarshipsTripled the amount during CovidProvide Instructor Online courses as scholarshipsHave 2 programs today - need-based/financial aid and Master of Wine scholarshipsOffer group rates for distributors Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bâtonnage, the French word for stirring the lees, is now about stirring up the conversation about women and wine.  The Bâtonnage Forum, founded in 2018, is creating a safe space to have difficult conversations about gender inclusivity in the wine world.  Katie Canfield and Rebecca Johnson, partners at wine PR agency O’Donnell Lane, are currently carrying the baton for the forum.  They tell XChateau about transitioning the forum to virtual, launching a mentorship program, and filing for 501c3 status.  This episode is sponsored by Repour, the simple, effective way to preserve your wine...without planning ahead.  Extensively used by top sommeliers, wineries, and wine students, Repour prevents wasted wine and saves money.  Find out more at repour.com and listen to Episode 24, where CEO Tom Lutz gives us all the details on Repour.  Detailed Show NotesThe mission of The Bâtonnage Forum - to open up the conversation about women and wine and create a safe space to have difficult conversationsFounded in 2018 by Stevie Stacionis and Sarah BraySet up to “pass the baton” every two yearsKatie and Rebecca are the lead organizers for 2020 and 2021This brings in new ideas and changes to the organizationThe Bâtonnage Forum has transformed from 1 day in Napa to a robust, active community from all sectors of the wine industryThe broad focus is a unique selling pointIt’s a platform for education and engagementThey have gotten lots of positive, direct feedback (thank yous, emails, volunteers who want to be involved) The Forum1st two forums held in NapaWent from 1 day to multi-day, multi-session virtual forum, expanding the audience to all of North America and some global participants2021 - will be 3 days at the end of JuneThe issueOnly ~30-40% of wine businesses are women-ownedOnly 14% of CA wineries have female head winemakers, though this has improved someThe Sommelier industry has meager female participation#metoo movement has been helpfulHow to HelpStep 1 - acknowledge and recognize the issue, join the conversation, including at the Bâtonnage ForumStep 2 - improve HR and hiring practicesStep 3 - mentoring (spread the word about the mentorship opportunities to potential mentees), education (including WSET, MW, etc.…), and shaking up the conversationDonations (currently filing for 501c3 status)2020 accomplishmentsPivoted in-person forum (was planning to be at Sonoma Broadway Farms) to virtual due to Covid with 10 sessions, 35 speakers, and 20 winemakers and chefs for a virtual walk-around tasting2021 InitiativesLaunched Mentorship Program - Level 1 of 3Mentoring leads include the founders, Priyanka French, Tonya Pitts, and Mary MaherSponsored by Napa Valley VintnersFiling for 501c3 non-profit status, targeting $10k/year for 3 yearsLaunching a Bâtonnage Forum branded canned wine with NomadicaWant to dive deeper into uncomfortable conversationsActively collaborates with other gender and under-represented inclusion groupsDiversity in Wine Leadership Forum - bringing the various diversity and inclusion groups together to understand what each group brings to the table and avoid overlapAssemblage in Willamette ValleyWonder Women of Wine (now Lift Collective) in TexasBlack Wine Professionals by Julia ConeyHow we’ll know when we’re “there” - when there’s no longer a place for diversity committees in organizations Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Creating inclusivity and change is not changing current structures. It’s about creating new spaces. Ikimi Dubose of The Roots Fund is pushing change for diversity and inclusion of the BIPOC community in wine through passion, accountability, and transparency. She tells us how The Roots Fund is more than scholarships, has been able to change lives, and is expanding its impact with a high school enrichment program, a job board, and a language program. Dynamic only marginally describes Ikimi and The Roots Fund and the impact this nascent non-profit organization is having with only a year under its belt.  This episode is sponsored by Repour, the simple, effective way to preserve your wine...without planning ahead.  Extensively used by top sommeliers, wineries, and wine students, Repour prevents wasted wine and saves money.  Find out more at repour.com and listen to Episode 24, where CEO Tom Lutz gives us all the details on Repour.  Detailed Show Notes: The Roots Fund supports Black, Indigenous, and LatinX in wineFounded by Ikimi, Carlton McCoy (CEO of Lawrence Family Wineries), and Tahiirah Habibi (owner of Hue Society)Ikimi and Carlton met as scholars of the CCAP programBoard includes the 3 founders currently, expanding with 2 more in 2021Mission: to empower BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) in wine through scholarships, mentorship, and job placementSome definitions:POC = people of colorHBCU = historically black colleges & universitiesDEI = diversity, equity, and inclusionsDiversity in wineWine is Hospitality more diverse than wine in general - more chefs are POCMany people forget the ownership part of inclusivityDiversity is growingSupport from NBA players - the Roots Fund doing some work with Dwayne WadePOC make up ~11% of wine consumers, a big customer baseCreating changeStart with changing hiring practicesHave HR people with DEI trainingThe Roots Fund differentiation“No glass ceiling” - not just scholarships for tuition/fees, but funding can include the wines and other elements needed to pursue a career in wineIt doesn’t stop at scholarships - mentorship is mandatory, building a communitySend funders synopsis and videos of stories of scholars with the impact their scholarships are having on their livesThe lean organization, efficient operating structure - a lot of volunteer-based work, transparent (financial statements will be available end of March), 70% of funding goes directly to scholarships (vs. ~50-60% at other non-profits), no office spaceScholarshipsTypesLocation-based (e.g., Rooted in Napa, Rooted in France) - work and study in a locationStay Rooted in Education - wine business focusedRooted in Education - for wine certificationsRooted in Culture - for joining membership organizationsRooted in Wine, a Vintner’s Story - a partnership with Naked Wines, creating a wine and product, keep ownership of the wine and brand, Naked Wines distributes 1st round of productScholarships open quarterly, targeting 20 scholars/quarter in 2021, but have ~70 applicants todayHow to helpJobs - reach out with internships, jobsMentorship - people of all backgrounds desired, mentors and scholars are matched with purpose, want mentors who can create a safe space for people with different experiences, build them up, and share their networkFundraising - 2021 goal - $500k, but hoping to exceed $1M2020 AccomplishmentsHad a $100k fundraising target (for 10 scholars), raised ~$300k30 scholars in the program workingDomaine Dujac and Naked Wine sponsorships2021 ProgramsHigh School enrichment programTake students to community colleges and universities with wine programsSpend time at some wineriesConduct tastings with the parents - educating them on wine and the opportunities in the wine industry for their childrenLaunching with 2 cities in 2021Job BoardIt should be open at the end of MarchThe Roots Fund pre-vets candidates, only passing along the best fitsIt requires follow up and feedback to improve candidatesLanguage Program - a partnership with Lip Service by Cha McCoy to empower people in wine with language educationGearing up for 2022 - jobs, internships, and tripsOther areas of supportBuilding a massive program with Lodi, CaliforniaWaiting for more support from Napa Valley - as the industry leader, they can change the view of inclusivity in the industryWe will be doing a raffle/fundraiser for Women’s History Month in Spring Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Art, comedy, food, movies, performance art, outdoor cabanas, food and wine pairings...are some of the draws that bring people to Charles Krug winery in Napa Valley.  President & CEO of C Mondavi & Family (parent company of Charles Krug) Judd Wallenbrock tells us about the history of innovation at Charles Krug and the Mondavi family.  As the first winery and first tasting room in Napa Valley, Charles Krug has spearheaded many different elements of hospitality and now drives them virtual.  Hear all about their programs and what has worked in the virtual space on this episode of XChateau!Detailed Show Notes: Judd’s background - 41 years in the wine industryHe visited Napa as a 16-year-old in 1974 (Charles Krug, Mondavi, BV)Did stints in retail, restaurants, a winery rep, and has his own backyard winery4 years ago - became President and CEO of C MondaviThe original Mondavi family businessFounders - Cesare & Rosa, who settled in VirginiaDid hospitality for miners in 1908Got into wine in 1928 - their saloon closed due to prohibition, and they bought and sold grapes and yeast for home wine kitsSons - Peter and Robert Mondavi5th generation of Mondavi’s was just bornCharles Krug WineryFounded in 1861, oldest winery in Napa1965 - Peter & Robert split, Robert founded Robert Mondavi Winery; both were running winery before, then just Peter1882 - 1st tasting room in NapaCharles Krug - created a legacy of innovationIntroduced wine press to Napa, taking the idea from apple cider1st to bring Cabernet to NapaStarted the 1st wine club, took wine into San Francisco to sell wineMondavi innovations - brought in French oak barrels, did cold stabilizationHospitality at Charles KrugWedding - grandfathered in, limited to ~20 per yearThe aim is to create the cultural hub of Napa Valley - present wine as part of the artsCulinary, art, comedy, host the Napa Valley film festival, “SIP” - series of interesting people, like TED talks, music, performing artsWine is food, but not in the restaurant businessProvide a “teaser” for guestsPartnership with Pete Seghesio - makes world-class salumi with C Krug winePizzas - hand made in the outdoor pizza kitchenHas the same sourdough starter from the 1940s from the Mondavi familySee 40,000 guests per year, 10,000 delivered from Napa Valley Wine TrainSmall relative to ~300,000 visitors/year at Robert Mondavi wineryEvent-based marketingUse events as a discovery vehicle for the brandIt gives a reason to come, confident that wines will speak for themselvesEvents ticket-based, sometimes include wineSome events curated but not put on by the wineryEvents targeted to break even, then winery’s job to convert people to sales and club membersHelp generate word of mouth and 3rd party endorsementsBuild customer database - for follow up marketingEvents themselves not always a good selling opportunity, but do post-event marketing (e.g., free tasting for event attendees that come back)The GAME plan - a method for measuring and evaluating programsGoal, Activities, Metrics, Enhancements (after post-mortem)Key metrics for Charles KrugConversion rate to saleConversion to wine clubClub retention rateReferrals (from all categories - events, hotel, restaurants, social media, etc.…)Found more intimate and focused events do better for conversion, e.g., outdoor cabanas doubled wine club conversionVirtual hospitalitypre-Covid started in-home tasting groupsRevolved around club members in their homes, up to 20 peopleBlew away goals for sales and club membershipAlso did recruiting for next tastingsMoved to virtual during the pandemicDoing virtual for consumer, distributors, and country clubsBuilding comedy and trivia night virtuallyThe entertainment part is still evolvingCorporate tasting packs for customers been a big virtual business Have a 360-degree virtual tourMarketing virtualStarted with the wine clubLeveraged social mediaWord of mouth and referralsNot a lot of advertising, just limited digital (Facebook and Instagram)Digital best practices - need to keep pace with constantly evolving technology, content matching to the audience is importantImportant to always keep things fresh - future release - chocolate truffles that look like the soil from various Napa appellations, with flavor profiles to pair with winesOther digital programsTelesales - none pre-Covid, now a big business - not hard sales, but courtesy calls, customers enjoy hearing from the wineryE-commerce - release more content, find its building customer relationshipsWebsite chat box - has been very effective Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Even Cooler Than You Think” and “Where Wine Takes You” sum up not just what the Paso Robles region is about but also the names of marketing campaigns and the Paso Wine Country podcast.  Chris Taranto, Communications Director of the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance, tells us about the diversity, friendliness, and character of the Paso Robles wine region.  As well as how they promote and position the region within the state and across the country.  From Zinfandel to Rhone blends and weekly zoom webinars to consumer events, Chris educates us on all things Paso.  Detailed Show Notes: Paso Robles wine region overviewHalfway between San Francisco and Los AngelesAlong the California Central Coast (Monterey to the North, Santa Barbara to the South), close to the Pacific Ocean41,000 vineyard acres, >600,000 acres total11 different AVA’s60+ different grape varieties~200 wineries, ~170 physical wineries~600-2,200 ft elevation for vineyardsPopulation - ~30,000 people in town, ~100,000 in countyUp to 100+F during the day, but cools off to 50F at night due to the impact of Estoro / Morro Bay creating invection fog through the Templeton GapRhone varietalsSyrah introduced by Gary Eberle in the late 1980s, early 1990’sTablas Creek (the Haas and Perrin families) - imported grapevines from the Rhone (Chateau Beaucastel, owned by Perrin’s) and propagatedTCV (Tablas Creek Vineyard clones) - shared these clones, jumpstarting the region to embrace Rhone varietiesPerrins chose Paso due to calcareous soils, similar to limestoneAVA’s - started in 1983 when Paso Robles AVA was createdYork Mountain was excluded because the owner of land in the area believed it was very different from the restSubmitted for all 11 AVA’s at once, took 7 years, approved in 2014Have conjunctive labeling law - wineries must include both sub-AVA and Paso Robles, which must be of equal or greater font sizePaso Robles Wine Country AllianceMission: promotion and preservation of Paso RoblesMarketing organization - preserve the Paso brand and brand integrityWorks with member wineries with educational toolsMarket Paso to different audiences - consumers, sommeliers/retail buyers, journalists (3rd party endorsement)Metrics that are measuredConsumer events - P&L, experience surveysAdvertising - reachArticles / PR - audience numbersMembers are primarily growers/vintners but capture the whole wine community, including hotels, restaurants, and associate memberships (e.g., suppliers like bottle or label manufacturers)Fees are a sliding scale based on case production or vineyard acreage, room count (for hotels)Almost all wineries are members - ~190 of 200 wineries are membersHave sponsorship opportunities for suppliers -> allows them to speak to the membersTrade & consumer eventsIn-market events are mostly budget neutralLocal events - profits help augment the operating budgetVolunteer participation for wineries, most have no fee (except for one annual event in Cambria)The geographic focus of promotionCalifornia (south of Paso is a big feeder market, Bay Area more challenging due to competition with Napa / Sonoma)TX, IL, NY, FL also importantExport - mostly Canada, and most activities through the Wine InstituteMost effective promotions are 3rd party endorsements / PR strategies - journalists, bloggers, etc.…Advertising more to get lots of eyeballs at onceHosts a weekly Zoom webinar - “Paso Wine Hour”Tell members to tell your own true story; Paso is full of mavericks and cowboys, no real rulesPaso Wine tries to layer up personalities of Paso in PR messagesPodcast - “Where Wine Takes You”The audience has mostly been driven organicallyAnecdotal evidence of driving sales, but no hard data yetMember educationHave a monthly education series - for growers, winemakers, tasting room managers, hospitalityBring in expert guests to provide educational tools for their businessesOne of the next ones - building a playbook on how to present your brand on digital platforms bestTourism important for the region2015 - tourism economic impact of $1.5B for Paso Robles ($1.9B for the county, San Luis Obispo) with tourism spending of $194MA lot of messaging is to drive people to visitConsumer tagline - “Where Wine Takes You”Major issues for Paso RoblesWater - there’s a moratorium on new vineyard planting within the water district. It doesn’t get a lot of rainWildfires - no meaningful impact in 2020, but a constant issueSommelier/trade perception that the region is too hot for grape growing - came up with the tagline “Even Cooler Than you Think” - though wines may be high alcohol, they are balancedConsumer messagingDon’t try too hard to understand the AVA map yetGet the personality of the region - there's friendliness to itBe adventurous. There’s lots of diversity Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Educating students about wine is more about the “psychic paycheck” than the monetary one for Peter Marks MW, partner and Vice President of the Napa Valley Wine Academy (“NVWA”), the leading provider of Wine & Spirit Education Trust (“WSET”) courses globally.  Peter tells us about the different levels of the WSET (from Level 1 to Diploma), the full costs of wine education, and the benefits.  He also discusses the innovations happening with online learning, including sending wine kits out with their courses and best practices for virtual seminars.   Listen in on this deep dive into wine education from one of the foremost leaders in the field. This episode is sponsored by Sonoma State University’s Wine Executive MBA program.  A 17-month, transformative program that builds leadership skills and business acumen focused on the specific needs of the world of wine.  Learn more about SSU’s Wine MBA programs here.  If this is something you’re considering, the next session’s enrollment deadline is Feb 28, 2021, for courses starting in April!!  Detailed Show Notes: Peter’s backgroundStarted in wine retail in 1981 (worked at Drager’s markets)In wine education for the last 20 years (with Copia and Constellation Brands)2019 - joined NVWA and became a partnerBeing in wine education is more about the “psychic paycheck” - getting feedback from your customers and studentsNapa Valley Wine AcademyFounded in 2011, offering Wine & Spirit Education Trust (“WSET”) programsNow the largest WSET provider in the worldAn Approved Program Provider (“APP”) for WSET - it’s like a franchise, NVWA buys materials, study packs, and exams from WSET; grading is done by WSET in London65% of business in WSET, 35% other wine programsDevelop proprietary courses - e.g. - Wine 101, Wine 201, Napa Valley Wine Expert, Oregon Wine Expert, the Business of Wine (with Tim Hanni, MW)WSET4 levels, 1 through 4 (4 is called the Diploma)Levels 3 & 4 provide more understanding of the subjectsThe diploma includes the business of wine and is a precursor for the Master of Wine programGeared towards all aspects of the wine industry, very broad view vs other programs (e.g. - Court of Master Sommeliers focused on restaurants/service and Society of Wine Educators focused on education)Wine industry (or “trade”) participation in coursesLevel 1 - ~90% consumer, 10% tradeLevel 2 - ~75% consumer, 25% tradeLevel 3 - ~40% consumer, 60% tradeLevel 4 - ~10% consumer, 90% tradeMore consumers are coming into the programThe benefits of a wine education, the 3 C’s of the WSETCredential - showing your accomplishmentConfidence - knowing the facts about wine, speaking with confidenceCulture - participating in the culture of wine...the pay may be low, but being a part of the friendship and social aspects of the wine industry~100,000 WSET students/year - now the “go-to” wine education organization - it covers the entire industry and is globalRecent changes to the program - giving students what they wantLaunched a Sake programSplit spirits from Wine for the DiplomaIntroducing Beer soonVirtual classesHas always been an option - was called “self-study” and had to go in person to take examsExams for L1 and L2 now offered online, L3 and Diploma cannot be because they include tastingsNVWA launched wine kits (wine samples re-bottled into small vials) for virtual classes - do virtual tastings with them, the wines are disguised to be blindHad to learn how to better engage students online - using breakout rooms, polls/quizzes, reducing seminar times to 1-2 hours, best practice is to engage with students every 3-5 minutesDo live webinars that are recordedStudents save money by not having to pay for travel to classes, academy saves a bit of cleaning of facilitiesPricing is the same as in-person, but not travel costsThe cost of wine educationCourse fees, wine (for Diploma ~200-220 wines are recommended to know, wine can cost $500-2,000 for samples), travelWine kits are included in course costsCan have mentoring for an additional feeScholarshipsWSET offers some, but after having passed for the top scoresNVWA has several partners for scholarshipsWine Unify for L1-3Wine AccessThe Roots FundJohn Hart (former NBA star) - for the BIPOC communityThe diversity of students is growingThe return on wine educationConstellation Brands paid bonuses for employees who passed WSET qualifications and also offered tuition reimbursement Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Historic influences of both France and Germany have shaped the region of Alsace and its wines.  Foulques Aulagnon, Export Marketing Manager of Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins d’Alsace (aka - “CIVA” or “Wines of Alsace”) tells XChateau about how CIVA promotes this small corner of northeast France globally.  CIVA takes Alsace global to spread the word about some of the world’s most underappreciated wines, from Wine Trucks to an emphasis on food and wine pairing.  This episode is sponsored by Sonoma State University’s Wine Executive MBA program.  A 17-month, transformative program that builds leadership skills and business acumen focused on the specific needs of the wine world.  Learn more about SSU’s Wine MBA programs here.  If this is something you’re considering, the next session’s enrollment deadline is Feb 28, 2021, for courses starting in April!!  Detailed Show NotesAlsace background - “a pearl” of a winegrowing region38,500 acres2 million-year-old soils2nd driest wine region in France90% white wine, 10% red wine (all from Pinot Noir)25% of production is Cremant d’Alsace (sparkling wine)German influence (varietal on the label)Mosaic of soils and grape varietals (e.g., Sylvaner, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Pinot Noir)> 300-year-old family estatesCIVA responsible for everything but the rules of production, with 3 major roles: Business monitoring and strategic planningTechnical viticultural supportMarketing communicationMission & purpose - increase positive awareness of Alsace globally and boost wine salesMain areas of focus (marketing side)Public relations - programming with media and tradePromotions and communications - in-store, social media, POS, educational materialsCommercial development - support wineries looking for importers, distributionHow does CIVA measure success? Sales increase in value and volumePR / press impact - readers reached and exposureCIVA members - every independent winegrower, co-operatives, and negociants - anyone in the AOC is automatically part of CIVAIt’s a private organization but recognized by the French stateFunding is through mandatory contributions by winegrowers with small support from the EUMarket focus and support examples: Investing in over 15 countriesHistorically active in EU, especially Northern EuropeNow more in the US, Canada, and JapanExamples of supportSwitzerland grocery store chain - provided media support to boost salesWines of Quebec - offered content and help to bloggers to produce content on Alsace winesProvide info on food and wine pairings and consumer eventsProvides information for visiting the vineyards of AlsaceAlsace Rocks - a 360-degree program of press, trade, and consumer events, started in New York City in 2018, went global afterwardWine Truck Tour in Canada (Ontario and Quebec) - a food truck styled wine tasting with a terrace, tables, and chairs; competition to win Alsace wines, taste at your own leisure, and opportunities to share on socialWWII Impact on AlsaceBecame French again post WWIIHistory of being both German and French gives the region strengthBut, only being consistent since WWII has resulted in Alsace being a bit behind in building its reputation as a wine regionThe leader in organic and biodynamic winesIn 2020, 32% of the wine was certified organic1st producer of biodynamic wines (in the 1960s) Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A tasting term, specific elements in the soil and grapes, and even geological elements and rock types; the term minerality in the context of wine has taken up a rather broad usage.  Robert and Peter explore a bit of the science, the use of the term as a tasting descriptor, and how the industry has used minerality as a sales tool.  Listen to grasp a hold on how the term is used and what it is used for. Detailed show notes: Minerality as a wine term started in the 1980sA tasting term - related to flint, matchstick, chalk, saline charactersMineral elements - e.g. - potassium, phosphorus, calcium, etc…Geologic elements - e.g. - quartz, limestone, etc…As a style of wineMinerality is like a macro tasting term, like “fruity”Can have sub-elements to the category, e.g. - reduction/sulfur related compounds, stone related, saline / salty relatedAs a flavor, it is not from the actual minerals in the rocks in the soilMinerality could be a positive term for the absence of fruity and floral flavors in a wineIt comes from a combination of terroir and winemakingWines generally associated with mineralityWhites: Chablis, Sauv Blanc (e.g. - Sancerre), Gruner Veltliner, Alvarinho, Chenin Blanc, Rieslings, AssyrtikoReds: Pinot Noir, Cab FrancUsing minerality as a sales toolSome wineries have labels that specify rocks/soil typesE.g. - Didier Dagueneau’s Silex; Mullineux’s Schist, Granite, Iron; Dr. Loosen’s Blue / Red Slate RieslingsBut, these wines may not necessarily be referring to minerality in the winesSommeliers and restaurants tend to enjoy minerally wines and may have sections on their wine lists for themRetail stores that are organized by wine style do not yet use the term, but may in the futureRandall Graham of Bonny Doon experimented with infusing rocks into wine, but that led to higher levels of other trace materials and was shut down by the government Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.