by Stu Harrison on January 8, 2012
There’s still a lot of celebration today about the Supreme Court victory which forced states to open up their doors to direct wine shipments. Philosophically, the victory has been savored by all of us in our over-regulated industry. Realistically, however, we may have… “Won the battle, and lost the war”. This is particularly true of small producers like Stanfield and Stuart Wine Company and artisan labels like Trivium.
The fact is that for many of us, the Supreme Court ruling has made life a lot more difficult. There used to a dozen or so states for which there were few restrictions, no filing requirements, and minimum fees. Those states are gone now, in the wake of the Supreme Court decision. In those and other states, there are now cumbersome filing requirements and expensive regulatory fees. For large wineries, with revenues and a staff that cover those expenses, it’s more of an administrative and financial nuisance. For artisan producers, desperately needing the direct-to-consumer revenue, the effect is much more devastating. Because of our size, small producers can’t keep up with the paperwork and can’t keep track of the new taxes. Not to mention the fact that there are still a dozen or so states whose laws effectively block direct shipments.
We appreciate the efforts of those who fought hard to overturn the discriminatory practices of states in regards to direct wine shipments. We’re delighted to have won that battle. However, we’re still losing the war of truly gaining access to consumers in states outside California.
Stu Harrison, Partner
by Stu Harrison on May 8, 2011
All things to all people:
Trivium is one of a growing number of labels in the Napa Valley which reflect an encouraging trend in California wine… the increasing importance of the single wine winery.
Back in the 60’s and 70’s, the notion of a California producer specializing in just one product (or variety) was almost unheard of. In fact, just the opposite was true. Producers, from the ordinary to the extraordinary, rarely produced anything less than a dozen different wines, often from a score of different varieties. In the 70’s Almaden Vineyards (which incidentally was one of the pioneers of California’s varietal movement in the 50’s!) was a good example of the early mindset. At the time, they offered no less than 50 different wines. They produced every variety ‘under the sun’, literally.
The reason was simple. Back in those days, the more wines you produced, the more presence you could command on a retail shelf or a wine list. Even the top producers in the 70’s adopted that shotgun mentality. Both consumers and producers were new enough that the underlying tendency for wineries was to be all things to all people. It wasn’t important back then to be known for something in particular. The priority was simply to be known.
Today, as our industry has matured, quality producers are learning the importance of specialization and focus. Product lines are shrinking, and many new producers like Trivium (and Opus, Dominus, Continuum, etc) are narrowly defining to the consumer who and what they are. Geographic areas are more specific, product lines are smaller and vineyard designations are increasingly important.
Sometimes, if you want to hit the mark, a shotgun is not always your best weapon.
