Advertise on podcast: Fine Wine Confidential Podcast

Episode #11 details the testimony I gave at a joint hearing of the California State Senate & Assembly on the Direct Shipping of wine to consumers in November of 1997, when I was President & CEO of Henry Wine Group in California. Henry Wine Group was the only Wholesale Distributor of wine in the country at the time and to this day still, which spoke out and backed the right of the wine producers to ship directly throughout the country to  the consumer without going through the 3-tier system.  I was also a member of the Board of the Coalition for Free Trade (CFT) and later served as Vice-Chair from 1999 to 2001. CFT is the advocacy group that would successfully have a lawsuit go all the way up to the Supreme Court. In May of 2005, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the entity that we backed in this action. A significant event that changed the world of wine shipment, albeit with limitations that are still being fought today.  It was amusing to me in retrospect to be pitted against Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America, i.e., WSWA, in this battle.  I believe you will enjoy this escapade. Take a listen or read the transcript below. Thanks for being a listener to the Fine Wine Confidential Podcast. For more information go to www.finewineconfidential.com

The Fine Wine Confidential Book Podcast is a series of audio excerpts or snippets from my upcoming book, titled Fine Wine Confidential.   This new Podcast series will share insider information about what really happens behind the scenes in the Fine Wine business. Everything, from the up-close look at how marketing, sales, and pricing decisions are made to the sometimes crazy notions winery founders and owners have about who they are and why they have had success.  I will tell you from my experience that most of their success is a result not of their decisions but the recovery efforts by their staff or outside help to overcome the not-so-brilliant direction they were headed. You couple that with good timing and other market conditions that were not of their making, and that usually explains the success they enjoyed. I will lay it all out there for you to decide for yourself once you have heard the stories.     Thanks for being a listener to the Fine Wine Confidential Podcast. For more information go to www.finewineconfidential.com

Episode 2 provides a brief overview of what my book is about and my goal in writing it.  To sum it up quickly, let me say that I have been fortunate to have had many unique and challenging experiences in my 46-year wine career, and I want to share these with anyone who is interested and curious about what really happens behind the scenes in the wine industry from growing grapes, producing wine and then the obstacles that wine producers face in marketing, selling and the distribution of their wine through the bryzanine archacia distribution system that was set up in the aftermath of the repeal of Prohibition. The Wine Industry is a patchwork of laws that make it like selling wine in 50 different countries. There is nothing uniform about it. You will be left shaking your head once you have read my book and question why anyone would want to be in this industry. Unless of course you are one of the protected class, read Liquor & Wine Distributor. Thanks for being a listener to the Fine Wine Confidential Podcast. For more information go to www.finewineconfidential.com

In this episode I share a story about one of the actions I took early in my career that change the course for me.  It was 1979 and I had just been hired 5 months before at a Retail Wine Merchant in Washington, DC. I was promoted by the owner of A & A Wine & Spirits, Harry Cook, to be the American Wine Department manager.  I wanted to test him right away to see if I had both the responsibility in this new position, along with most importantly the authority to order for purchase the wine I believed we needed to build our selection into one of the finest in the city. It was quite the test, and he passed. I believe you will enjoy this brief excerpt Thanks for being a listener to the Fine Wine Confidential Podcast. For more information go to www.finewineconfidential.com

In this snippet from my upcoming book, I share a story about my first time on the streets of New York, calling on accounts and selling William Hill wines in only the second week after I had taken the position as VP of Sales for the  Eastern Division at William Hill Winery. Some Division, I was a one-man show and responsible for half of the country east of the Mississippi.  In this episode, I detail my account call at the famous Sparks Steakhouse in Manhattan. It would become even more infamous a year later when Paul (Big Paul) Castellano would be whacked sitting in his car outside of the restaurant in a Mob-related reputedly ordered by John Gotti. This account call posed an immediate challenge to both my instincts and sales ability. However, I put to the test what I believed based on my experience, and that was, most people buy wine based on the way it smells, not on how it tastes. Take a listen or read the transcript. Thanks for being a listener to the Fine Wine Confidential Podcast. For more information go to www.finewineconfidential.com

This Episode shares a firsthand account of some of my early wine-buying visits to top California wine producers in 1981 & 1982. It is just a small sample of what I encountered at a time when the early wine producers were just beginning to become well known on the East Coast, thanks to my and my best friend Jim Arseneault's efforts as we introduced them to our respective wine-loving consumer clients in Washington, D.C. I profile 3 wineries, Mayacamas Vineyards, Kistler, & La Crema Vinera. The latter is not to be confused with the wine producer known as La Crema today, which is owned by Jackson Family Wines. I know you will find this snippet informative and entertaining at the same time.  Listen below or read the transcript. Thanks for being a listener to the Fine Wine Confidential Podcast. For more information go to www.finewineconfidential.com

Episode #6 describes my initial encounter with the bureaucracy in the wine business. It was when I went to work at William Hill Winery back in 1984 and was introduced to the world of Franchise Laws.  Franchise Laws come in many shapes and sizes in the country, but essentially, what they are written to do is protect the alcoholic wholesaler distributors in this country. In the case I outline, it is in the state of Georgia, which has far and away the most protective and egregious law in the land. Literally, if a wine producer signs on with a Georgia distributor, that distributor now owns the rights to the brand for life. The only recourse a producer has is to withdraw from the market for three years or have their brand transferred to another distributor in the market, which may or may not be any better. Crazy stuff. I guess because Georgia was initially established as a Penal Colony, they like the thought of having the wine producer in leg irons, where they are the Judge and Jury. You are not going to believe what you are going to hear in this Episode. Take a listen. Thanks for being a listener to the Fine Wine Confidential Podcast. For more information go to www.finewineconfidential.com

In this Episode #7, I detail how I unwittingly jumped in and tried to make a significant change in the wine industry by trying to undo the Franchise Law protection that the alcoholic beverage wholesale distributors have in this country. These Laws are a vestige of the repeal of Prohibition and harm the wine producers in the most unfair way possible in well over half of the states in the country. I started a new organization on the heels of the Coalition for Free Trade's successful Supreme Court ruling that was issued on May 16, 2005, which allowed the direct shipment of wine from the producer to consumers throughout most of this country.  The new organization was aptly named Wine Fair Trade Coalition (WFTC), as the goal was to provide the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) with a roadmap for them to investigate and help, as they did in their work that helped set a course for the CFT's successful fight. However, it turned out to be a fool's errand in the long run. Take a listen. Thanks for being a listener to the Fine Wine Confidential Podcast. For more information go to www.finewineconfidential.com

Episode #8 is an insider's view of the Henry Wine Group Board Meeting in the fall of 2007, when I was President & CEO. While reviewing some sales data for several of our top-end California producers, I noticed a disturbing trend that alarmed me. When I opened the meeting, I said, "Gentlemen, I have noticed some significant slowing down of the sales for a number of our most expensive California wines, and I believe something is happening that we should be paying close attention to. My comments were dismissed mainly by the board, which was composed chiefly of Republican-leaning businessmen. Their response was to comment that the economy was doing fine, especially on Wall Street. I opened the next Board meeting in March of 2008 with the following comment. "Gentlemen, I wish I had been wrong back in September, but it appears my intuition was correct". Like good Republicans, they all looked at their shoes and would not look me straight in the eye. I explain in this snippet why the Wine Business is a Trailing Economic Indicator not a Leading Economic Indicator. Take a listen.  Thanks for being a listener to the Fine Wine Confidential Podcast. For more information go to www.finewineconfidential.com

This episode delves into a defining moment from February 1986 that catapulted William Hill Winery into the spotlight. At that time, I was Vice President of Sales when Frank Prial, in his popular New York Times column "Wine Talk," made a misstep with his less-than-favorable comments about the results of our blind tasting event. During this event, we pitted our wines against the esteemed First Growth Bordeaux from the celebrated vintages of 1978, 1979, 1980, and 1981—and to our delight, William Hill wines triumphed in three out of the four flights. This episode not only showcases Bill Hill's remarkable talent for spirited debate but also culminates with Frank Prial gracefully extending an apology in his column, while not coming right out and saying he was wrong, just two months later, in April 1986.  I invite you to immerse yourself in the captivating details of this escapade—it's sure to pique your interest and provide fascinating insights. Tune in and enjoy! Take a listen or read the transcript   Thanks for being a listener to the Fine Wine Confidential Podcast. For more information go to www.finewineconfidential.com

Episode #10 is about my thoughts on why most Founders of wineries or wine brands are not the brilliant or savvy business people they would like you to believe they are. No,  more often than not, their success, if they have any, is usually attributable to timing or causes outside of their control. I use my experience with Brice Cutrer Jones, the Founder of Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards, as one example of why I formed this theory. I have said many times in the past that there were two people who were responsible, in my opinion, for the foundational success at Sonoma-Cutrer, and neither of their names is Brice Jones or Fred Reno. Take a listen and see what you think.  Thanks for being a listener to the Fine Wine Confidential Podcast. For more information go to www.finewineconfidential.com

Dustin Minor and Nokesville Winery are a relatively new addition to the Norton scene in Virginia. His first full fledge vintage was 2021 when he made wine in the basement of his house after getting his winery license. Today he only produces a little over 1,000 cases of wine but from what I have tasted the quality is high and the future is bright for this new upcoming Vintner. Dustin started by planting several vines in his backyard in Nokesville because he thought they would look cool. That was over 12 years ago and eventually would lead to him planting the 5 acres of vines they have at their estate.  He is a very determined and intense fellow and there is no doubt in my mind that he will succeed. The wines are worth checking out and adding to your Virginia wine tasting experience. Thanks for being a listener to the Fine Wine Confidential Podcast. For more information go to www.finewineconfidential.com

Tom Payette is one of the veterans making wine here in Virginia. The upcoming 2025 harvest will mark Tom's 40th. While most of Tom's career has been in Virginia he has been involved some years ago on the west coast in California as a result of his position at Prince Michel. The then owner Jean Leducq owned a vineyard on Elhers Lane in Napa Valley. Tom has been recognized by numerous wine publications for his work including being named in 1999 as Winemaker of the Year by Vineyard & Winery management and more recently he was named by Wine Business Monthly as one of their Wine Industry Leader of the Year Awards. Tom has a very active Wine management and consulting business currently and New Kent Vineyards is one of his long-time clients who produces Norton. Tom brought with him the day of the interview two bottles of wine. Once of which was from their Norton vineyard block and the other was from what Lucie Morton the world renown Ampelographer visited and said was from Cynthiana which is not Norton despite the fact that it is legal to label it as Norton. Lucie joined us after the interview concluded and we tasted the wines. There is no question they were different. More on that in a later Episode when I interview Lucie. Take a listen to Episode posted here or read the transcript. Thanks for being a listener to the Fine Wine Confidential Podcast. For more information go to www.finewineconfidential.com

It is safe to say that Kendell Anderson the featured winemaker in this Episode #20 started his career in the Wine Industry in a most unconventional way. He graduated from William & Mary with a degree in Kinesiology and Health Science, not the traditional degree you might associate a winemaker with. It was a girl friend of his that got him interested in wine when she began to take him to wineries mostly in Loudon County in the Northern section of Virginia.  He would eventually land a job with a large California company, Saxco that sold bottles, labels and other packaging materials that many beverage companies used. That led to a position at Stone Tower Winery as a cellar assistant.  Ultimately, he would get a position at The Winery at Bull Run where he is the winemaker today. Kendell is emblematic of the younger generation of winemakers here in Virginia as he approaches the industry with an open mind and the interest in learning what folks want in the future for wine and how they will interact with it.  It is a fascinating look at a winery that is stepped in history as a result of it's background having been the site of the first battle of the Civil War. Take a listen or read the transcript below. Thanks for being a listener to the Fine Wine Confidential Podcast. For more information go to www.finewineconfidential.com

Lucie Morton is the World's most preeminent Ampelographer, if not the only one still living that practices this art in the wine industry. I know, you are asking yourself what is Ampelography? Well, Lucie will explain that in some detail in this episode.  In fact, this interview was filled with so many insights that I have chosen to break it up into 2 parts. In Part 1 we touch on many areas of winegrowing with a focus on American Heritage grapes and their demise and rediscovering. One of which, the Cunningham Grape, another Virginia native grape Lucie is in the process of recovering, it is going through the quarantine requirements, and her nephew plans to plant it on their original family farm on the banks of the Potomac River in King George County, Virginia. Lucie is also in the process of producing a film called the Odessey of Forbidden Wines, Exile and return of American grapes. We will discuss that in detail in Part 2.  I could go on about Lucie's many accomplishments, but I will let the Episode speak to it instead. Enjoy the listening. You will be as fascinated as I am every time I engage Lucie in a discussion about winegrowing.       Thanks for being a listener to the Fine Wine Confidential Podcast. For more information go to www.finewineconfidential.com