Advice from an Ohio Enology Conference

So go ahead... make some money. Just import a truckload of juice and start up your brand. How disappointing is this! I take issue with this approach.

This conference was organized by the Ohio State University Viticulture and Enology Program.

QUOTE #1: A featured speaker told potential winery owners: “The most important thing a winery makes is money. You should look at your skill-set first, because growing grapes is very different from making wine, and marketing either grapes or wine requires another set of skills.

“It may be that you should establish your brand first. Buy some fruit or bulk wine, contract with another winery or a custom crush facility, and then begin to sell your wine. Then, after you are making some money, build and equip a winery or plant a vineyard.”

Contrast this with this quote:

QUOTE #2: "Wine has to reflect the place it comes from... otherwise it's just a brand name." Antinori, creator of Ornellaia, 1998 Wine Spectator Wine of the Year, in the movie Mondovino.

You know which quote we favor.

Comments

[Nancy Bentley]

Equal time. This is the reply.

"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 am not speaking for my partner Ron Barrett, just for me. Ron is too busy pruning to comment on such things.