Co-operative wineries, popular throughout Europe, are generally associated with higher volume, lower quality wines. Not at Domäne Wachau , where Winery Director Roman Horvath MW has been leading the quality vision for its family growers to great success. Roman discusses how co-ops work, how they pay their growers to get to zero income, and how managing a co-op is different from other companies. Detailed Show Notes: Roman’s background He started in wine in his mid-20s Worked in restaurants, wine ...
Jul 06, 2022•35 min•Ep. 106
A lot can be learned through collaborating. Even how to stay calm during a pandemic when your Italian partner is in the thick of it. Calm with the perspective of 26 generations of winemaking and having survived two World Wars. Juan Munoz-Oca, Head Winemaker for Ste Michelle Wine Estates , Washington State's leading wine company, describes what he's learned and the process of collaborating with other luminaries of the wine world, including the Antinori Family, Dr Loosen, and Michel Gassier from t...
Jun 29, 2022•45 min•Ep. 105
Seeing the opportunity of bringing solutions in the financial markets to fine wine, James Miles, CEO and Co-Founder of Liv-ex , launched the London International Vintners Exchange (“Liv-ex”). Through standard contracts, guaranteed trades, and a plethora of data, Liv-ex is making the fine wine market more transparent, efficient, and safe. Though the Liv-ex 100 and 1000 indices are what it may be best known for, it is an end-to-end trading platform. Listen to James explain it all as well as market...
Jun 22, 2022•50 min•Ep. 104
After two years and over 100 episodes of XChateau , Robert and Peter reflect on how the wine industry has changed, the major themes that have popped up in the show, and some of the lessons they have learned in the process. From the changes to social media, the spectrum of fine wine to everyday wines, and the importance of social issues, XChateau has covered a broad array of critical business topics for the wine industry. Supporters on Patreon get access to the entire library of content and episo...
Jun 08, 2022•33 min•Ep. 103
As the winemaker’s last choice before wines go in the bottle, cork has played an important role in wine ever since bottles could be made with consistent necks. The consistency of corks is another challenge that Diam is tackling. Francois Margot, Director of Sales, North America describes how Diam is creating corks with choices and consistency for aging, oxygen transfer, and initial oxygen release. Don’t forget to support the show on Patreon ! Detailed Show Notes: Diam Corks Cork was originally u...
Jun 01, 2022•39 min•Ep. 102
Interview with Carlos de Jesus, Director of Marketing and Communications for Amorim Corks in Portugal, the largest cork company in the world, which celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2020. We discussed the various uses of cork, the differences between corks and other closures, and how the business of cork has evolved over the decades. This episode originally aired in September of 2020. To access the rest of our library and support the show via Patreon ! Detailed Show Notes: Amorim - 150-year hi...
May 25, 2022•55 min•Ep. 101
As a 7th generation family-owned and run company, being sustainable means building towards the future for the next generations. That’s the philosophy that has led Champagne Louis Roederer to move towards organic farming with biodynamic and permaculture principles since 2000. With 100% of its historic estate (50% of total vineyard holdings) certified organic, this process has had a significant impact on the quality of the fruit and wines as well as the bottom line. Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon, EVP an...
May 18, 2022•25 min•Ep. 100
Sparkling wine is trending at the moment and no brand best embodies the trend more than cult California sparkling wine producer Ultramarine . Michael Cruse, the founder of Ultramarine and Cruse Wine Co , explains how he developed a passion for sparkling wine that led to his accidental success. He covers how Ultramarine took off, techniques and production practices that have business implications he took from Champagne, pricing, and his view on sales channels. Detailed Show Notes: Ultramarine Sta...
May 11, 2022•47 min•Ep. 99
As the climate and resulting fruit quality change, winemakers must adapt to achieve the highest quality. That led the historic (246 years as of 2022) Champagne house of Louis Roederer to create Brut Premier in 1986 to overcome the challenges of underripe vintages, particularly in the 1970s. In 2022, another evolution has occurred, where the fruit is consistently ripe, and the main challenge is to preserve freshness. Thus, the launch of the Collection series, evolving the non-vintage Brut Premier...
May 04, 2022•39 min•Ep. 98
Sharing a name causes confusion. Trademark and appellation laws are there to protect them. However, it can be harder to resolve when this confusion is within the same country. That’s the challenge Montepulciano (both the town and and the wine Vino Nobile di Montepulciano) faces against its bigger neighbor Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. Max de Zarobe of Avignonesi describes the history, challenges, and steps taken to clarify the names and the wines. If you’d like to support the show, please sign up on ...
Apr 27, 2022•49 min•Ep. 97
The low and no alcohol wine space is growing rapidly. Enough so that a company specializing in spinning cone technology to reduce alcohol, ConeTech, changed its name to BevZero . Debbie Novograd, CEO, and Kayla Winter, Director of Product Services & Winemaking, discuss the technology, the challenges of producing good no alcohol wine, and the market for low and no alcohol wines. Don’t forget to support the show on Patreon and get access to our backlog of great episodes and show notes! Detaile...
Apr 20, 2022•48 min•Ep. 96
With the rapidly changing social media landscape, TikTok has started (as of late 2021, early 2022) to arrive as a place for wine lovers. Wine influencer Amanda McCrossin ( somm_vivant ) has gained momentum in this “wild west” and now has over 100k followers. She shares her journey, best practices, and what makes TikTok special. Detailed Show Notes: Former sommelier and wine director at Press Napa Valley, full background on Episode 12 Featured in SF Chronicle article about TikTok and wine (March ...
Apr 13, 2022•46 min•Ep. 95
Constantly looking to improve its environmental impact, Jason Haas, Second Generation Proprietor of Tablas Creek Vineyard in Paso Robles, recently released a trial of 3L bag-in-box wines at $95/box. Though this is 15% lower than the normal bottle price, it still represented ~3x the highest boxed wine in the market. However, the potential to lower the total carbon footprint of the wine by 40% led to trialing and a terrific reaction to the 300 box trial, which sold out in 4 hours. Jason explains t...
Apr 06, 2022•35 min•Ep. 94
Combining a passion for wine with a background in marketing to Millennials from Proctor and Gamble, Ben Matthews launched Terratorium Wines . Building a brand for Millennials has led to creating target personas, packaging elements that lead to more transparency, and pricing to create a fine wine entry point. Hear about how Terratorium is creating brand alignment with its Millennial customers. Support the show on Patreon . Detailed Show Notes: Millennial purchase drivers Want straightforward, mor...
Mar 30, 2022•51 min•Ep. 93
Taking over from his father, 2nd generation proprietor of Tablas Creek Vineyard , Jason Haas left a career in technology to dig into the soils of Paso Robles. Spearheading the conversion to Biodynamic farming and now the certification of Regenerative Organic farming, Tablas Creek has pioneered not just the Rhone movement in California, but of Regenerative farming, which looks to take into account the farm’s impact on the soil, community, and region. Jason believes that Regenerative farming is th...
Mar 23, 2022•44 min•Ep. 92
Seemingly overnight, 19 Crimes , a division of Treasury Wine Estates , has become a Top 15 brand in the US and has a global impact. Re-imagining what a wine brand could be, 19 Crimes has had many innovations, but found lasting success with augmented reality and celebrity partnerships with Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart. Ming Alterman, Brand Director for 19 Crimes, gives us the history, best practices, and keys to success for the brand and AR. If you love the show, please consider supporting us on...
Mar 16, 2022•45 min•Ep. 91
Using her background in graphic design and inability to read large blocks of text, Madeline Puckette, Co-Founder and Content Director of Wine Folly , has transformed wine communication using infographics and other writing methods to enable wine discovery for more people. What started as a content marketing strategy for a planned wine club, Wine Folly has become one of the core landing sites for wine globally and an essential resource for wine beginners in their wine journey. Here about the journ...
Mar 09, 2022•48 min•Ep. 90
With an outsider's perspective, Jason Wise, director of the SOMM movies and founder of SOMM TV , has been able to find stories in the world of wine that interest a broad audience. In order to control more of the content pipeline and how the shows are distributed, Jason founded SOMM TV. Using "Somm" as more of a curator, SOMM TV has wine at its core and covers food, travel, and other alcohol, making it appealing to a broad (and younger) audience. Learn more about the business of wine films in thi...
Mar 02, 2022•57 min•Ep. 89
Having studied what was important to wine consumers working at Oddbins, a British wine retailer, Nicholas Hammeken, Founder and Director of Innovation at Hammeken Cellars, founded a company focused on crafting Spanish wines that match consumer preferences. He develops concepts with unique selling propositions, plays to modern tastes, and tries to be an ambassador of affordable luxury. Nicholas tells us all about how he thinks through creating the concept, developing the product, and bringing the...
Feb 16, 2022•43 min•Ep. 88
An ongoing trend and a topic that crisscrossed many of our interviews on XChateau, the natural wine movement got a formal designation in March of 2020. It specifies a set of vineyard and winery practices to qualify for the designation. We discuss the potential challenges of implementing the designation and the potential impacts on producers, retailers, and consumers. This episode originally aired in May of 2020. To access the rest of our library, become a Patreon supporter , as we’ll soon be mak...
Feb 09, 2022•21 min•Ep. 87
Wondering why there was only beer and spirits but no wine at Crossfit events and races, Mark Warren and Tom Beaton, Founders of FitVine , decided to start their own brand. With a goal of making wine more transparent and approachable, FitVine aims to “fit into your lifestyle.” At the $15-20/bottle price point, FitVine is bringing more Gen X and Millennials into the wine category with wine that tastes good and takes away the stuffy image of the wine industry. If you love the show, please consider ...
Feb 02, 2022•53 min•Ep. 86
Ever been curious about the claims people make about “clean wines”? In the same camp as “natural wines” and “better for you wines,” clean wines have no definition and often deploy misleading marketing to get you to buy their wines. They take advantage of the trend, particularly with Millenials, around a healthy lifestyle and spread misinformation in their marketing, according to sommelier and wine educator Erik Segelbaum. Explore the rationale behind the clean wine trend and how to read into the...
Jan 26, 2022•46 min•Ep. 85
Grocery stores are one of the biggest sales channels for wine. Curtis Mann, Group Vice President of Alcohol of the Albertson’s Companies , gives us the inside scoop on buying trends, how to sell into Albertson’s, and the rise of the use of digital. Learn about the dynamics of the grocery wine market and what makes Albertson’s “locally great, nationally strong.” Don’t forget - you can support the show on Patreon to help us keep bringing you great wine business content! Detailed Show Notes: Curtis...
Jan 19, 2022•35 min•Ep. 84
With a vision to democratize wine for every wine drinker in the US, Underground Cellar’s founder and CEO Jeffrey Shaw and COO Jeff Hardy are focused on building a unique and disruptive platform for buying wine. Leveraging gamification principles, Underground Cellar gives you upgrades to the wines you buy, giving customers access to more expensive and rare wines. This has expanded into free wine storage in their Cloud Cellar, which they hope to build more community and a trading platform around. ...
Jan 12, 2022•52 min•Ep. 83
Sommelier turned wine consultant turned online wine retailer. Thatcher Baker-Briggs, Founder of Thatcher’s Wine Consulting , has continued to evolve and expand his presence, helping clients drink better and navigate some of the intricacies of Burgundy and other fine and geeky wines. He tells us about his journey, how email responsiveness is a competitive advantage, and how he believes some of the distribution allocations of top European wineries need to adapt to where the demand is. An engaging ...
Jan 05, 2022•45 min•Ep. 82
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 definit...
Dec 23, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 81
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 background ...
Dec 15, 2021•41 min•Ep. 80
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...
Dec 08, 2021•42 min•Ep. 79
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! D...
Dec 01, 2021•37 min•Ep. 78
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...
Nov 17, 2021•50 min•Ep. 77
