Tag Archives: winemaker

Friends and Partners in the Willamette Valley

Written by Allison Levine on
Lifestyle Wine

On my trip to Oregon a few months ago, I met so many passionate, dedicated, friendly winemakers and was so impressed with the camaraderie within Willamette Valley. One of the best examples was between Brittan Vineyard and Winderlea Vineyard and Winery. These two wineries were founded by two different couples but the wine world has brought them together and now, while their brands are their own, their businesses are intertwined. You can read the story I wrote in the Napa Valley Register here.

One of the things that fascinates me about the wine industry is the level of friendship, camaraderie and passion that exists in such a competitive industry. In essence, every winery is seeking placement in a very crowded market. But, friendship and collaboration seem to overpower the competition. A perfect example is Brittan Vineyards and Winderlea Vineyard and Winery, two wineries in the Willamette Valley.

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The Youngest Winemaker Raises A Quarter of a Million Dollars

Written by Allison Levine on
Lifestyle Wine

How old do you think the youngest winemaker is? What if I say 10 years old?  That is right!  Meet 10-year-old Cruz Bilbro who is a  who is 10 and he just raised ALOT of money for charity! And, if you want to help him raise more money, mark December 9, 2018 on your calendar and read my story from the Napa Valley Register below.

Winemaker Cruz Bilbro is the fifth generation in his family to make wine. But what sets him apart from other multi-generational winemakers is that he is only 10 years old.

When Cruz asked to make wine, Jake agreed but said he would make it for him, and his goal was not to profit from his son. Cruz selected Grenache from the property and went out with the crew to pick grapes. He worked the forklift, measured the brix and temperatures and did all of the punch-downs. Jake guided his son along each stage, explaining his options, but each and every decision was made by Cruz. Read More +

Clarice Wine – An Innovative Way To Sell Small Production Wines

Written by Allison Levine on
Lifestyle Wine

This story originally appeared in California Winery Advisor.

Adam Lee has worked in all aspects of the wine industry. He has worked at a wine store, on the floor of a restaurant in Austin, Texas, for a distributor and wrote about wine before starting his first winery, Siduri. Experience working in all facets of the wine business has provided Lee with an advantage; he knows all of the benefits and challenges the industry poses.

The biggest challenge a winery faces is selling the wine. When Lee started Siduri in 1994, he focused primarily on direct sales, with most of the sales sold on futures. Times were different then. “Pinot Noir was still in its infancy in the wine drinkers consciousness and growing a mailing list was easier than it is today,” Lee explained. Wine reviews, mailing lists, and direct sales helped his brand grow until they were large enough to work with a distributor. Thanks to a couple fortuitous events, Siduri followed this path. After a few bottles of wine, Lee was very relaxed and generously confident and left a bottle of his wine for Robert Parker, which resulted in a good review.  Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant Owner Debbie Zachareas was at EOS Wine Bar at the time and began selling the wine. By 1996, Siduri grew to almost 900 cases and entered the three-tier market. “It was a lot about getting to a certain size about where you needed a distributor.”

By 2015, Lee sold Siduri to Kendall Jackson. While he remains the winemaker, the new ownership freed Lee from the business side of things. As a result, Lee gets to spend more time in the vineyard. “The growing and picking is the most important part,” according to Lee and he was thrilled to spend more time there.

With the time in the vineyard, Lee began thinking about the legacy he would leave for his children. He and his wife Dianna liked the idea of leaving them something small that would not be a burden but rather something they could choose whether or not they wanted to grow. In 2017, named after Lee’s grandmother, Clarice Wine Company was born.

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