May 23 2006
Inthe popular wine press, I’ve noticed a greater emphasis lately on personalityprofiles and a concerted attention on boutique vintners—but these are vintnersthat are making artisan wines that are not artisan as a part of an allocatedmarketing strategy—these are truly micro-wineries. Mostly, these passionate winemakers are young—under the age of35, and in some cases in their mid twenties.
Atthe same time, ESPN the Magazine publishes an annual “Generation Next” issuehighlighting athletes from all types of sports that are young as well as up andcoming influencers in the next generation of sports stardom; this not too mention Pepsi using a similar kind of youth mantra.
Inthe sports arena, pundits and columnists often dig for the commonality, the ‘friendsoutside the game’ angle and who is going to be next to ascend to greatness—sometimesthere is a hardscrabble story and occasionally a tale of pending greatnessdespite the odds—the kid who shot a thousand free throws a day with a milkcrate nailed to the light pole in the alley …
Ourfood and wine press is beginning to do the same …
Food& Wine magazine’s May issue featured young winery employee’s—asst.winemakers, vineyard manager’s and the like and discussed their own personallabels that they work on under the auspices of the “nights and weekend”program.
Arecent article in the San Luis Obispo Tribune highlights some of the young winemakersin the Paso Robles area—most of them 2nd generation vintners and intheir early 30s.
Behindthe continuing evolution of Paso Robles wines and wineries is a new generationof winemakers who are preparing to take the wines and the region to a new level.About a dozen young men — most in their early 30s — are playing key roles inthe wineries their fathers started. Many went to school together, and allconsider themselves friends and co-supporters in what is often a verycompetitive industry.
Amongthe things they share is a commitment to the area, a willingness to experimentand a drive to make the very best quality wine possible.
Oneof the leaders of the wine youth movement, at least in the Central Coast area,seems to be Peachy Canyon, which is starting to enjoy wide distribution andgenerally favorable reviews.
Whenhe was growing up, Josh Beckett says he swore that he would not go into hisfather’s wine business.
DougBeckett started making wine in 1988 and sold his first 100 cases out of theback of a pickup. Since then, the winery output has increased to 54,000 cases,and Peachy Canyon Winery has emerged as a respected producer of premiumzinfandels in the country.
Astint working in Australia after college changed Josh’s mind about the winebusiness, and he has
now been head winemaker since 2002.
Atage 31, he has a casual attitude about the winemaking process, but he is alsodriven by the competition around him.
"Whenyou see a particular winery getting some of the scores they are out ofPaso," he said, "that just gets you in gear, and makes you realize itcan be done."
Regardinghis motivation and that of his peers, he says, "We’re not in it for thepaycheck; we’re in it for the recognition."
Another very cool business model for acouple of young and young at heart couples is the A to Z Wineworks in Oregon.
A to Z is taking the negociantbusiness model seriously and they are making very premium wines at affordable prices. They make a Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, PinotBlanc and a couple of other varietals and are growing rapidly.
A very good article on the negociantbusiness model from Bloomberg can be found here:
The article says:
(Thereis) a growing band of ambitious, innovative, new-style negociants: instantvintners with no vineyards or wineries who are stirring up the wine businessand offering some of the best wine deals around. Traditionally, a negociant(French for merchant) purchases barrels of wine from a small grower who’sharvested the grapes and made the wine.
Thenegociant blends it, sometimes ages it and then bottles and markets it underhis own label. This business model has a long history in Europe, especially inBurgundy, where hundreds of tiny domaines find it less risky to sell their wineto one of the region’s major negociants such as Maison Louis Jadot or Drouhinfor a guaranteed price than to invest the capital to bottle and market itthemselves.
Theadvantages are obvious: The growers get cash flow, while the negociants avoidthe overhead of owning vineyards (although some do that, too) and can,presumably, keep prices down.
Unfortunately, A to Z is distributedin 40 states, but not my own, so I picked up a bottle of their Pinot Noir whilein New York recently.
It’s delicious. If it’s 100% pinot, it represents a ripeness that is only seen in wines with a touch of Syrah cut in ... very velvety with a lot of fruit, nicely balanced.
TheA to Z Pinot Noir is crafted from over twenty different wines selected andblended by A to Z from over sixteen of Oregon’s best Estates. A multitude ofPinot Noir clones and styles of winemaking are represented as facets in thismultidimensional blend. Aged in 100% French Oak of which 40% was new for 9months, 17,000 full bottle cases were made.
Those that have been around nascent stars—athletes on the rise, or rock bands in a ‘scene’ talk about the palpable sense that something new, different and exciting is happening. From my quiet chair in the heartland, thousands of miles away from California and Oregon, I can’t help but feel the same for winemaking and the youthful zest that seems to be pervading the industry.
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