Now that the new year is in full swing, it seems appropriate to look at what 2009 may bring. The fiasco called COPIA in Napa is closed. What does this say about the Napa wine industry’s image and its ability to draw people into wine, food and the arts? Personally, I think it was doomed from the beginning. These things just generally don’t work. All they had to do was look at the Australian Wine Center in Adelaide, South Australia. It tried the same thing for several years and then went belly up.
As a tourist to Napa, I’d want to see the area and the wineries—not blow $100 or more walking around, looking at pictures and eating gourmet weenies. The concept may make you feel good, and since Napa is full of winery-owning gazillionaires, you think it should work, but the population base is awfully small to justify such large expenditures for something average wine drinkers aren’t really interested in.
One of my questions is: How in the hell was this debt ever allowed to grow to this amount? I’m also not sure what 60 to 80 employees were doing—it sounds like one employee per visitor. Certainly the current economic conditions worsened the problem, but I think this whole concept wouldn’t have been successful even in the best of times. I wish I could shed a tear, but I think laughing is more appropriate. (Please forgive me: I really do feel sorry for the employees who were led down this garden path.)
I never thought about it, but maybe COPIA should have been eligible for a government bailout. It seems like just another small-scale financial institution, like the Detroit automakers that were screwed by greed and mismanagement. At least the unions can’t be blamed this time.
Have some fun
Turning my attention away from high roller places like COPIA, I’ve decided the wine industry needs to focus more on fun in the tasting room. Since tasting rooms have become a lucrative cash center, it behooves us to make the most of the ambiance presented. If you’re a small, ego-driven winery with $50 to $100 bottles of wine, forget this. But for the other wineries, “fun” could be increased and profits would follow. Several years ago, I visited Tobin James Winery on Highway 46 East just outside of Paso Robles and came away with this same feeling.
It’s probably a no-no for me to promote someone outside of our great area, but I have yet to find a local tasting room that even comes close (and the concept is definitely beneath our Napa royalty). But Tobin James is the ultimate in what wine and tasting rooms can become. The theme is western—yes, real cowboy type—with three tasting bars, western music over the sound system, a place for the kids to play video games and some damn good wines. And probably as important as anything else, the staff is very friendly and even knowledgeable.
How does all of this add up? Well, out of 80,000 cases produced, 70 plus percent are sold through the tasting room and wine club (the club has 19,000 members). Maybe you think they must be giving their wine away, but their tasting wines range from $11.50 for a great red blend called Chateau Le Cacheflo (say this slowly and think about it), several other red varietals at about $18 and whites from $14 to $25. If you’re partial to higher-end wines, there are some very substantial reds (2005 and 2006 vintages) from $28 to $150 per bottle. All of the wines are very good and would show well against some of our finest North Coast wines. Certainly, my job isn’t to promote other areas’ wines, but when you find a gem that could be duplicated up here, I think it’s worth mentioning. Maybe they’re successful because they haven’t become overly sophisticated.
A moveable feast
Is this the sign of the times? I recently tried to make reservations for a group of 14 at Taverna Santi restaurant in Geyserville and was informed that a group of 14 would require two tables…and there was a three-bottle limit on wines brought in and an $18 corkage fee per bottle. I don’t have a clue about the why or how of any of this, but I think it’s asinine. If I brought in five bottles for the group, it would be like giving them a $100 bill for simply renting the glasses. When questioned, I was informed the restaurant considers itself as having a very good wine list.
What I inferred was that they’re marking up their wines higher than that. I have yet to figure out why restaurants think the wine industry should create the profit for them to stay in business. It really is a fact that, if wine prices are reasonable, customers are far more likely to order a second bottle. Paying $45 for a wine you know you can buy for $16 is ludicrous—but so is $18 corkage with a three-bottle limit. Needless to say, I was responsible for moving another dinner meeting/party of 18 to a more wine-friendly atmosphere. Is this becoming a trend in the restaurant business, and if so, why?
Philosophy in a bottle
I don’t have enough space to really get into another topic that’s becoming an issue (fad?), and that’s “going green.” It seems wineries are falling all over themselves to go green. But does it really make better wine, or is it solely for marketing purposes? Are we beginning to sell philosophy in a bottle? Andy Peay of Peay Vineyards said in a recent San Francisco Chronicle article that, “Should wineries tout farming and energy practices to attract green consumers? These practices could signal an increased attentiveness that leads to better-tasting wines. Or they could mean the wineries care more about positioning than the quality of their wine. To suss out greenwashing, look at how much effort is put into selling techniques versus implementing them. In any event, the evidence is in the bottle!”
I think we’ll visit this issue many times in the future. Remember the first few “organic wines” on the market were a step below awful, so is it possible to make a good organic wine? And does it really matter? Is there a difference between going green and going organic?
OK, remember a bottle a day is your homework, so get started!
