Having gotten bitten by the wine bug young and with deep wine retail experience, Devon Magee, founder of Offshore Wines, decided to start a small wine importer. Inspired by Kermit Lynch, Offshore focuses on small, artisanal brands making high quality, yet affordable wines. Devon shares how he bootstrapped the company and is finding his way as an importer.  Detailed Show Notes:  Background - mostly wine retail, did harvests in France (Vieux Telegraph, Chandon de Brialles in Burgundy -...

As part of the importer series, Yi Xin Ong, Managing Partner of KOT Selections in Singapore, provides an international perspective. From Singapore’s 2-3,000 active importers for the small island to the impact of international media, Yi Xin describes how KOT navigates the importing, distributing, and retailing of its portfolio of winegrowers.   Detailed Show Notes:  Background Founded KOT in 2011 - they couldn’t get the wines they were buying in Singapore, three partnersWork w/ 57...

With a portfolio of luxury wineries, including Domaine de la Romanee-Conti and Biondi Santi, Wilson Daniels has developed deep expertise in marketing luxury wines. With allocations, deep tracking of where wines go, and a heavy event schedule, Shannon Coursey, EVP of Sales & Marketing, describes how taking great care of the wines is critical.  Detailed Show Notes:  Wilson Daniels (“WD”) overview Founded in 1978, they started as a domestic wine brokerage, In 1979, they were asked to...

In part 2 of our series with Nick Ramkowsky, Owner of Vine Connections, Nick describes how he builds brands in the US market, striving to turn “annual” brands into “perennial” ones. Partnering with distributors both directly and working independently with consistency helps create a virtuous cycle of long-term relationships. Nick also covers his interest in sake and how it overlaps with sales strategies for wine.   Detailed Show Notes:  Two types of brands Perennials - brands where accounts...

After falling in love with wine through a year abroad in Burgundy in high school, Nick Ramkowsky, Owner of Vine Connections, has built a premium national importer of South American wines and sake. Nick discusses the types of wine importers in the US, how he thinks about building a brand portfolio, and the keys to success as an importer in part 1 of this 2-part series. Detailed Show Notes:  Vine Connections A national import and marketing company based in CA and has a retail licenseFocus on...

To give their customers the ability to trade up and a broader selection than what’s inside their 1,900+ grocery stores, Albertsons Companies have launched Vine & Cellar. Curtis Mann, MW, Group VP of Alcohol, discusses the greater selection, wine description and storytelling, and flexibility Albertsons has with Vine & Cellar to complement their in-store offerings.  Detailed Show Notes:  Curtis’ background Worked at IRI / Circana (database of retail scan data)Worked in retail wine...

2023 wrap-up for the wine business Topics we covered in 2023 Sustainability (8-part series that had Drew Bledsoe to CEO of Silver Oak David Duncan and across the world from the US to Spain to Bordeaux)State of the Wine Collector (LA, Dallas)Leveraging non-gov’t organizations (VDP, Grand Pagos) to promote wineRevenge travel Post-Covid move back to in-person / offices -> delivery of wine -> reduced visitors to wine country and people buying wine to stock and drink at homeAmericans Took...

As the podcast space matures, it becomes a more meaningful channel to market wines to consumers and create new experiences.  3rd time guest Amanda McCrossin, Host of the Wine Access Unfiltered Podcast, and AJ Resnick, CMO of Wine Access, explain their rationale and experiences in launching and building the podcast and associated wine club.  From celebrities crying on the show to creating a 360 experience with their wine club and podcast audio and video, the Unfiltered Podcast continues to...

From 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. 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 this...

Frustrated by a lack of understanding of consumer taste preferences and a lack of data-driven decision-making about winemaking, Katerina Axelsson, CEO and Co-Founder of Tastry, built an AI and chemical analysis system to solve this. With custom-built algorithms that take chemical analysis and develop flavor profiles and a database of consumer taste preferences that map to the US’s 248M adults, Tastry is paving a new, innovative way to use data to make and market wine. Detailed Show...

As the first iconic wine of Chile, Don Melchor has paved a path for many others to follow. Enrique Tirado, CEO and Technical Director, explains the vision behind Don Melchor, how it became an instant icon of Chile, and how it stays on top of its game.   Detailed Show Notes:  Enrique’s background - studied agronomy and enology, joined Don Melchor in 1993, became winemaker in 1997, in 2011, Don Melchor Winery was created and became CEO Don Melchor overview: One specific vineyard in Puente Alto...

As the #2 global wines & spirits company, Pernod Ricard seriously emphasizes promoting its brands globally. One method of doing this is its global network of Brand Ambassadors (“BA”). Fabyola Soares, Global Senior Wine Education Manager at Martell Mumm Perrier-Jouët, describes her team of 30 Brand Ambassadors, their mission, their role, and what traits make them great.   Detailed Show Notes:  Fabyola's background - studied to be a sommelier in Brazil, joined Pernod Ricard in 2013 as 1st...

With the aim of safeguarding the wines of personality from special vineyards (or “pagos”) from across Spain, the Grandes Pagos de España is a private group of wineries on the forefront of Spanish wine. President María del Yerro, of Alonso del Yerro, and VP Enrique Valero, CEO of Abadía Retuerta, discuss the history, objectives, how to join, and their new Terroir Workshop Series.   Detailed Show Notes:  María’s background - was a translator, husband took over family winery in Rioja, 2002 -...

Having existed through the glory and the doldrums of German wine, the VDP, the association of top wine growers in Germany, has set out to re-establish German wine as one of the finest in the world. With 20 years under its belt, the Grosses Gewachs (“GG”) system has elevated the status of dry German wines in a short time. Theresa Olkus, Managing Director, and Steffen Christmann, President, discuss the history, goals, and role of the VDP and how the GG classification is bringing quality back to...

As the wine director and partner of the Lettuce Entertain You restaurant group, Richard Hanauer oversees ~100 restaurants' wine programs. Seeing beverage sales grow from single digits to ~20% of sales, Richard discusses the role beverage plays in restaurants, sommeliers, the elements of good wine programs, and his newest wine country themed concept, Oakville Grill & Cellar.  Detailed Show Notes:  Lettuce Entertain You ("LEY") ~100 restaurants in Chicago/IL, CA, NV, FL, TX, VA,...

In a valley of ever-increasing prices, Malek Amrani of The Vice, is trying to bring value and discovery to Napa.  Producing 18 varietals from 16 sub-regions, The Vice showcases the full spectrum of Napa Valley at $29 a bottle.  Malek is “going against the grain” in many ways - focusing on value, discovery, and underserved markets to build The Vice brand for the long run.   Detailed Show Notes:  “The Vice” named after Malek’s main vice of wine Focused on value and discovery of Napa...

Coming from a long career in technology, Kia Behnia, Founder of Neotempo Wines, was galvanized by the 2017 Napa fires to create a more sustainable path.  This started in the vineyard, where he’s utilizing technology and leveraging real-time data to improve quality and decrease cost.  Kia maps opportunities he sees in weeding, irrigation, mildew prevention, & automated crop evaluation as part of the foundation of a new “Smart Farm.”  Beyond the vineyard, Kia has redesigned what sustainable...

Continuing our two-part episode, William Kelley, Deputy Editor of The Wine Advocate, expounds on the evolution of the business elements of Bordeaux. From La Place de Bordeaux to wine critics' score compression, Williams shares his view on how these institutions are changing and evolving their place in Bordeaux and how that impacts big and small chateaux.  Detailed Show Notes:  La Place de Bordeaux Latour's leaving the en primeur system, but not La Place, did not have a meaningful impact,...

Deputy Editor of The Wine Advocate, William Kelley, who recently took over reviewing Bordeaux, as well as Burgundy and Champagne, amongst others, and former guest on E62 (Evolution of the Wine Critic) and E68 (Burgundy), takes a deep dive into the current state of Bordeaux in this two-part episode.  First, William tackles the history of Bordeaux and how it achieved greatness as one of the top wine regions globally to its recent decline relative to Burgundy.   Detailed Show Notes:  Bordeaux...

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...

Checking in on how collectors are weathering current economic conditions, John Jackson (IG: attorneysomm; YouTube: attorneysomm) provides insight into the Dallas, Texas wine market.  From their wine clubs to how collectors learn about new wines and buy them, John delivers deep insight into the Dallas market as of May 2023.  John also details some of his journey on social media with Instagram and YouTube. Detailed Show Notes:  John’s background Attorneysomm on Instagram (27k followers) and...

Trained in chemistry and born blind, Hoby Wedler, an entrepreneur and sensory expert, has trained his palate to pick up aromas and nuances in wine more acutely than most.  Hoby describes how he does "Tasting in the Dark," which helps wineries connect with buyers and his thoughts on accessibility in the wine industry.  Detailed Show Notes:  Hoby's background Born blind, studied history and chemistry (Ph.D.)Francis Ford Coppola asked him to design a blindfolded wine experience, which became...

Fueled by the pandemic, grocery stores have made significant investments in selling digitally, with wine being an essential growth category for online sales.  With estimates of ~$6B in wine sold through online grocery by 2025, Jessica Kogan, Chief Growth & Experience Officer of Vintage Wine Estates, gets into the trends, key success factors, and the opportunity that online grocery represents.   Detailed Show Note:  Vintage Wine Estates (Ticker: VWE) 11th largest wine holding company in...

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.” Detailed Show Notes:  Grocery as part of the wine market Multi-outlet wine market ~$12-13B / yearTotal wine market ~$60-70B / year...