Jackson Family Wines is at the forefront of many sustainability efforts as one of the world’s largest wine companies, with >40 wineries. Though they have made significant efforts in renewable energy, climate change, and social impact; they have also done a lot with waste prevention and green purchasing. Katie Jackson, a 2nd generation family member, leads these efforts to become more sustainable and describes some of the major programs they’ve undertaken. Detailed Show Notes: Intro from Anna ...
Feb 23, 2023•38 min•Ep. 136
Now known as Bonterra Organic Estates , Bonterra has long been associated with organics. But, they have pushed well beyond that with sustainability processes and certifications such as Climate Neutral, True Zero Waste, and now focusing on Regenerative Organics. Joseph Brinkley, Director of Regenerative Farming, describes the history and communication processes that have led Bonterra to become a leader in the sustainability space in consumers' minds. Detailed Show Notes: Joseph's background - sta...
Feb 16, 2023•42 min•Ep. 135
As a lifelong hunter, David Duncan, CEO & Proprietor of Silver Oak in Napa Valley, has a keen appreciation for nature. This has driven David and Silver Oak to pursue many sustainability investments, including being the 1st existing winery and new build winery to be LEED Platinum certified and be at the forefront of energy efficiency for the last 20 years. From solar panels to using waste heat to get water up to sanitization temperatures, David dives into the details of Silver Oak’s sustainab...
Feb 10, 2023•30 min•Ep. 134
Sustainability is as much about people as it is about the land. That’s how Maryam Ahmed, founder of Maryam + Company and the Diversity in Wine Leadership Forum , connects Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (“DEI”) to sustainability. Maryam shares how DEI creates access and relevance to new customers and markets for wine and how “doing the work” creates significant ROI for businesses. Detailed Show Notes: Maryam’s background - worked in Finger Lakes, distribution in NYC, moved to Walla Walla, the...
Feb 03, 2023•49 min•Ep. 133
Sustainability is just good business practice, according to Drew Bledsoe, former New England Patriots Quarterback and now founder and proprietor of Bledsoe Wine Estates , comprising three wineries in Washington and Oregon. Josh McDaniels, CEO, and Drew discuss their biodiversity initiatives in detail, as well as their people and packaging efforts, as part of their sustainability ethos. From improving quality to increasing customer loyalty, they believe taking a long-term view on sustainability p...
Jan 26, 2023•42 min•Ep. 132
With a goal of 46% carbon reduction by 2030 and 6,000 companies to wrangle, Marie-Catherine Dufour, Technical Director of the Bordeaux Wine Council , has a big job to undertake. With an action plan that covers five key climate change strategies, Bordeaux can become carbon neutral by 2050. Some of those strategies include promoting bats to combat grape moths, reducing the weight of bottles, and capturing CO2 from fermentation to make baking soda. Detailed Show Notes: Marie-Catherine’s background ...
Jan 19, 2023•34 min•Ep. 131
Known for its world-class art collection and Pinot Noirs, Donum Estate is also serious about sustainability, investing heavily in integrated pest management and biodiversity. Dan Fishman, the winemaker, discusses the benefits and tradeoffs of moving to organic and regenerative farming with an IPM framework. From sheep, ducks, and chickens to mealybug destroyers, it’s creating a diverse ecosystem that is improving the soil, vines, and wines for Donum. Detailed Show Notes: Dan’s background - Donum...
Jan 12, 2023•43 min•Ep. 130
Building an entire ecosystem in the desert requires water at its core. With a 3,000-ha property that includes 2,000ha of vineyards, a winery, and a town to support it, Raimat , part of the Cordorniu Group, has been at the forefront of sustainability, particularly with water efficiency. Joan Esteve, General Manager, explains how >€5M of investment has substantially reduced water usage and made the property more sustainable, which in his mind, is leaving it a better place for future generations...
Jan 06, 2023•39 min•Ep. 129
Focused on the 20% of the wine market doing things differently, Byron Hoffman and Tyson Caly, co-CEOs of Offset , are focused on enabling “Brand Differentiated Commerce.” At the intersection of design and technology for wine, Offset has significant experience operating allocated offerings of wine. These unique event-based sales methods, which limit how much customers can buy, create new challenges and best practices, unlike other sales channels. Detailed Show Notes: Byron & Tyson met while c...
Dec 30, 2022•44 min•Ep. 128
With a California-like atmosphere, Texas wine country enjoys a strong local following. Eva Horton, the owner of Flat Creek Estate , shares how they are creating more than a Texas winery but a destination. With multiple venues, including a full-service restaurant and a disc golf course, Flat Creek is getting visitors to come back and enjoy the estate and wines. Detailed Show Notes: The goal is to be a destination, a real estate development play, not just a Texas winery Texas wine country - west o...
Dec 16, 2022•43 min•Ep. 127
In less than three years, Jen & Zach Pelka, the sister and brother co-founders of Une Femme, have taken what was supposed to be an in-house wine brand for their Champagne Bars The Riddler to the fastest-growing sparkling wine in the US. Leveraging data from The Riddler sales with a mission of promoting women and enabling the shattering of glass ceilings, Jen & Zach have taken a CPG approach to rocket Une Femme to become a national player. Detailed Show Notes: Une Femme launch Initially d...
Dec 01, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 126
In this episode, Robert Vernick and Peter Yeung interview Tom Lutz, Founder & Creator of Repour Wine Savor, one of the leading new inventions in wine preservation technology. We discuss the technology, how people have learned about it, the differences between Coravin and Repour, and what the future holds. Other topics covered in this episode include: Tom is a chemist by trade (he worked in biodiesel and aquarium products) Repour was invented when he had a newborn son and ended up pouring hal...
Nov 24, 2022•25 min•Ep. 125
Being the lead guitarist of the band, The Strokes , and with a celebrity roster of investors including Joaquin Phoenix, Owen Wilson, and Nick Hoult, one might believe that Albert Hammond Jr.’s new wine seltzer, Jetway , should have an easy path to take off. However, creating a product from ideation to quality in a can, starting a new business and raising money, and getting that wine seltzer into stores, restaurants, and people’s hands was more like launching a new band for Albert. It takes a lot...
Nov 16, 2022•38 min•Ep. 124
Catching the wine bug from the nudge of a physical trainer, Elton Potts, Founder & Managing Partner of Vine Vault , has built a business focused on enhancing the enjoyment of wine and wine collecting. From full-service wine storage to refrigerated shipping to hosting wine events, Vine Vault has grown rapidly and serves six markets in the US. Detailed Show Notes: Elton’s background A 27-year career in finance & ops ran a global storage and logistics business A physical trainer said beer w...
Nov 02, 2022•48 min•Ep. 123
Library Release - Originally released as episode 26 on Nov 11th, 2020 With a 25-year history, WineBid is the oldest and largest online wine auction site. The original re-commerce platform, Russ tells us about the auction process from the buyer and seller perspective and all the data they collect and display for the wines. This includes innovations such as a 360-degree bottle shot, price history charts, and new functionality like their customized shipping feature. He spills the beans on a few tip...
Oct 26, 2022•54 min•Ep. 122
The wine storage landscape has never been as dynamic as it is today. Primarily due to Vino Vault and its goal of “making wine collecting more enjoyable.” With six facilities today and the goal of getting to 40-50, Jeff Anthony, President & CEO, and Jeff Smith, Chief Wine Officer, describe how scale allows them to offer more products and services to customers. From a soon-to-be-launched marketplace to auction advisory, Vino Vault is taking wine storage to another level. Detailed Show Notes: J...
Oct 19, 2022•37 min•Ep. 121
What is the relevance of having 100s of gold medal wines and the competitions that hand them out? According to Doug Frost, MW, MS, it references back to the 19th century, when people were trying to describe what was happening in their wine regions. Doug describes the history, value, drawbacks, and key success factors of wine competitions. He delves into their changing influence in the era of the wine critic and the modern era of the sommelier. He contrasts this with the Wine Pinnacle Awards , no...
Oct 12, 2022•45 min•Ep. 120
“Wine is an emotional sale, not a rational one.” according to Katherine Cole, Communications Director of Vin Agency , making storytelling and the immersive nature of web design critical for DTC wine sales, according to Katherine and Jon Krauss, Creative Director of Vin Agency. They explain how website design can improve brand messaging and create more DTC sales by making websites discoverable, drawing the consumer in, and making it easy to purchase once the thirst is built. Detailed Show Notes: ...
Oct 05, 2022•32 min•Ep. 119
From weddings to concerts to a golf course, Wente Vineyards has a whole portfolio of experiences to share the Wente brand with consumers. Aly Wente, VP of Marketing & Customer Experiences, shares how Wente thinks about managing the portfolio of experiences and how they embed wine and the Wente brand into everything they do. From becoming more of a data company to refactoring their tasting rooms and driving people to the wine club, driving deeper connections with their customers is core to th...
Sep 28, 2022•30 min•Ep. 118
After spending two decades promoting the wines of Washington State, Allen Shoup founded Longshadows , a collective of partnerships leveraging internationally renowned winemaking talent to express the best of the Columbia Valley. Director of Winemaking, Gilles Nicault, describes how the partnerships work from both a business and winemaking perspective; what he’s learned from making wines with the likes of Michel Rolland to Randy Dunn; and how Washington State’s wine profile has been elevated from...
Sep 21, 2022•31 min•Ep. 117
Family-owned businesses are notoriously hard to keep family-owned over multiple generations. Wente Vineyards in Livermore Valley, California, has managed to keep it going for 5 generations. Partially through having fewer children, but also through structures put in place to keep the family connected and business family-owned, Aly Wente, VP of Marketing & Customer Experience, describes how they’ve focused on connection and fun to keep the family business together for generations to come. Deta...
Sep 14, 2022•34 min•Ep. 116
As designer and Executive Director of sustainability non-profit Napa Green , Anna Brittain is passionate about taking action on the 7 pillars of sustainability. Spreading the word about how pursuing sustainability can save money is critical. Anna describes how she defines the 7 pillars of sustainability, what makes Napa Green unique, gives concrete examples of how wineries save money with sustainability, and the launch of the symposium Napa Thrives to accelerate the pace of action. Support the s...
Sep 07, 2022•42 min•Ep. 115
Revolutionized by eliminating taxes on wine in 2008, Hong Kong has become a significant wine investment and trading hub for China and Asia in general. Polly Aylwin-Foster and Ian Ford of Nimbility Asia go deep into all aspects of the Hong Kong ("HK") wine market. From the HK wine consumer, the retail landscape, cross border transactions with China, the large "hand carry" market, and the British influence on the wine culture, they provide lots of essential data and detail for HK wine. Detailed Sh...
Aug 31, 2022•45 min•Ep. 114
Drinking wine since Roman times, the UK market for wine is both mature and competitive. Changes happen slowly, and old traditions remain as the market evolves. Katy Keating, Managing Director of Lay & Wheeler , one of the UK’s oldest wine merchants, gives a deep dive into the UK wine market. She explains the history of wine drinking, its impact on wine purchasing, the up-and-coming wine regions, and the fragmentation of the UK wine retail marketplace. Support the show on Patreon ! Detailed S...
Aug 24, 2022•46 min•Ep. 113
Navigating a very fragmented and dynamic Chinese wine market is challenging. Ian Ford, Founding Partner, and Nichole Mao, Partner of Nimbility Asia , help guide wineries to the right pathways for import partners and building demand in China. They also discuss how important domestic Chinese wine production is, the market for US wine in China, and the importance of wine education. Support the show on Patreon ! Detailed Show Notes: Wine buying is very fragmented An importer can sell direct, with no...
Aug 17, 2022•37 min•Ep. 112
As one of the biggest alcohol markets in the world, China is slowly waking up to wine. Ian Ford, Founding Partner, and Nichole Mao, Partner of Nimbility Asia , walk through how the Chinese wine market has changed, what has led to success, and the current wine trends in the country. With significant growth potential, the Chinese market is a critical global wine market to grasp and understand. Support the show on Patreon ! Detailed Show Notes: Nimbility Asia It doesn’t transact wines; not an impor...
Aug 10, 2022•36 min•Ep. 111
Celebrating its 100th year in 2022, Vinmonopolet , the retail wine monopoly of Norway, is tasked with reducing overconsumption of alcohol while enabling a growing food and beverage culture in Norway. With over 32,000 selections, covering 95% of the population, and educating customers with podcasts and other programs, Trond Erling Pettersen, category manager, describes how the monopoly serves all segments of its customers and operates in a fair, transparent manner. Support the show on Patreon ! D...
Aug 04, 2022•22 min•Ep. 110
While traditionally a beer and spirits market, wine has now risen to equal footing in Norway. As a category manager for Vinmonopolet , the retail wine monopoly of Norway, Trond Erling Pettersen describes the wine culture in Norway, the four categories of wine consumers, and the major trends for wine consumption. Detailed Show Notes: Wine in Norway Wine is now equal to beer and spirits, traditionally was more beer & spirits Norwegians into food and wine pairing, don’t have the traditions of C...
Jul 27, 2022•30 min•Ep. 109
Operating your own winery is expensive. The custom crush business model enables small wineries to solve this. Robert Morris, the founder of Grand Cru Custom Crush in Sonoma County, explains the benefits of the custom crush model, how it works, and how Grand Cru has changed the custom crush game. Support the show via Patreon ! Detailed Show Notes: Robert’s background A Mechanical engineer by training worked at HP Became partner at Copain Custom Crush (renamed Punchdown Cellars) 2016 - founded Gra...
Jul 20, 2022•46 min•Ep. 108
Building a global brand takes a lot of effort and investment. Even with the network of >400 negociants on La Place de Bordeaux, wineries have to make significant investments in brand building and press. Rebekah Wineburg, Winemaker, and Diego Garay, Director of Exports for Quintessa in Napa Valley, discuss their journey towards selling in 50 countries in 3 years through the La Place system. Detailed Show Notes: Rebekah’s background She wanted to be a winemaker at 16 Worked in Italy, New Zealan...
Jul 13, 2022•40 min•Ep. 107
