Co-op Wine Anyone?
The idea of a wine co-op has been on my mind lately. Now I see Robert Mondavi has started one in Cali.
Aside from some superboutiques offering wines at $100 a bottle and up, most of the wine made here these days is produced and distributed by multinational beverage giants or spirits manufacturers. Today’s wine start-ups are often “virtual” wineries, little more than a brand name and a label on a bottle, supplied by one of the state’s “custom crush” operations, which make wine to specification for numerous clients. These can lead to good wines, even great ones, but the individual nose-in-the-barrel element is missing.
Not only are the start-up costs of a bricks-and-mortar winery prohibitive for many small operators, but getting the finished product onto store shelves is an even bigger challenge.
The studio concept, Mr. Mondavi said, began with the Carlton Winemakers Studio, in Carlton, Ore., which opened in 2002. Rob Mondavi produced a pinot noir there before Folio acquired its own winery.
The Carlton studio has the capacity to produce 18,000 cases of wine, which is currently shared by 10 winemakers
“We’re all independent wineries working under an alternating proprietorship, and that’s what differentiates us from custom crush,” said Andrew Rich, who produced 7,500 cases last year, making him the largest winemaker at Carlton. “Custom crush is, ‘Here are my grapes, call me when it’s in the bottle.’ We’re all doing what we’re doing by ourselves.”
Another new model is Les Garagistes, a winemakers’ “village” that plans to break ground next spring in American Canyon, a formerly neglected area between Napa and Vallejo.
Les Garagistes will offer 12 winemaking spaces about 4,500 square feet in size, which can be leased by individual winemakers or groups. Capital equipment, like crusher/stemmers and wine presses, will be shared, and the wineries will surround a central courtyard with a café and a tasting room.
NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/06/business/06wine.html?emc=eta1