My prior post describes what we considered unfortunate advice given attendees at the Ohio Winery conference in February a featured speaker. There's a saying we all know: "How do you make a small fortune in the wine business; start with a large fortune."
We feel that the speaker's advice to attendees is flawed, and a recipe for them to lose money. There are two sides to the issue: the viticulture side and the enology side.
Viticulture:
As for viticulture... I used to humor the tire kickers who want to start a vineyard. I now sarcastically ask them "Have you ever been on a tractor?" Having a vineyard is not wandering the property with your dog and a glass of wine. It is farming. And God help you if you pick property that is not suitable to the type of grapes you are growing. Then we have the issue of what grapes to grow: vinifera (the most difficult to grow), hybrids (easier but pays less money to the farmer per ton for an almost equivalent amount of work) and labrusca (sweet catawba anyone? There's a market for it, but you won't see it written up in any serious wine publication). And oh yes, Mother Nature. 3 years out of the past 11 our vineyard has had problems like spring frost, low tonnage due to a hot dry summer, lesser quality due to cold wet harvest conditions.
Now to Enology.
The speaker suggests that a new "winery" owner buy juice or wine, ferment it, and/or bottle it and create a brand. Why even bother bottling it? Just bring in what are known in the trade as "shiners" and slap your label on it. Now as to making GOOD wine. We grew Pinot Noir in Oregon for over 10 years before planting this all vinifera vineyard in 1999, so we have some experience. We have mentored at least four other growers in southern Ohio. A new winemaker is prone to making an infinite number of errors resulting in undrinkable wine. Undrinkable wine cannot be sold, and therefore does not make money. Why do you think Todd Steiner, the Enology consultant in Ohio has seminars where people bring their mistakes for evaluation? Even an experienced winemaker has opportunities to screw up. I would vouch to say also that even a well made hybrid wine is a tough sell outside of the tasting room. Wine stores and restaurants are not interested in them.
Now, where does the juice come from? There are some grapegrowers in Ohio that do not have a winery. Grapes are so scarce in Ohio that the state has a taxpayer subsidy program to pay people $1000 an acre to plant more (some of this money goes to existing vineyards who would be planting more anyway). So that forces someone to purchase out of state. Do you seriously think that NY or CA would sell their best grapes and/or juice to Ohio? Then we have the issue of shipping. The best wines are made when the grapes are processed shortly after harvest.
The last thing Ohio needs is a bunch of new wineries producing inferior non-vinifera wines and new owners losing money. I suggest if someone just wants to make money they should start a Burger King. Many of the wineries in Ohio were opposed to our attempt to allow Auxiliary Tasting Room in the state, as do many other states. I wonder what these wineries in attendance at this conference felt about encouraging a boatload of new wineries opening tasting rooms in their neck of the woods!
Equal time: The speaker's response. "Were you at the conference? From you comments I don’t think you were there! I am sorry you took offense at my statements, but I stand by those statements. If you can’t make any money then you won’t be in the business to do what you are talking about. I never said go outside of your state or growing area. I did not infer that getting wine outside of your viticultural area was better or worse. The wine maker is the creator of the product. It is their concept of what is good or not good, not me or anyone else makes those judgments. Unless you are Bill Gates, you HAVE TO MAKE MONEY. Then you can afford any of the creative and interesting things you want to do. Oh by the way you have to make GOOD wine too. You would have gotten that if you had attended the sessions. I have been making world class wines in Pennsylvania for 10 years, and I have been making it out of Pennsylvania fruit. I also was a former California winemaker and know what it is like. Get you facts before you think that I didn’t understand about Terroir and local sustainable growth in the viticultural area where you are located. These quotes do not represent that one should get grapes or fruit from outside their area, but if that’s what it takes to get started then what’s the harm? Then you can have the money to do what you want."
I agree, if you build a brand on compromises, then shift gears ie; start making wine with your own grapes then you have to start all over. You risk the money you have invested in building a brand based on some one else's juice, so you could be back to square one anyway!
Posted by: david lazarus | March 05, 2011 at 08:58 AM