Joe Wender, Burgundy guru

"In The Domain of the Earth Mother of Burgundy", an article in the March 26, 2011 Wall Street Journal, mentioned Joe (HBS 1971) and wife Ann Colgin.  A very interesting article, take a look at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703858404576214780431261762.html?KEYWORDS=wine"

John Grant appointed to Foster's Division Vice President, California

In March 2010, Foster’s Wine Estates Americas announced the appointment of John Grant to the new position of Division Vice President, California. In this role, he is be responsible for directing all activities of Foster’s California sales teams and distributor management within the state.

Grant brings more than 25 years of sales, marketing and executive leadership experience to Foster’s. He is a past President of Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates and most recently served as the President of Constellation Wines Australia.

Grant has been recognized for his marketing, sales and leadership skills by being voted Australian Marketer of the Year and twice leading teams that have won “Brand of the Year” titles.

“John is a highly skilled leader with a proven record of building high performance teams and winning where he competes,” said Mike Holden, Senior Vice President of Sales. “John brings a unique set of skills to this critical position.”

Grant will be based out of Foster’s North American Headquarters in the NapaValley. He is a 1997 graduate of the PMD (Program for Management Development) at Harvard Business School. John lives in Healdsburg with his family.

About Foster’s Wine Estates Americas (FWEA): This is the premium wine portfolio owned by Foster’s Americas, a regional division of Foster’s Group of Australia. With a proud history that dates back to the 1800's and a legacy marked by the highest commitment to making quality wines and producing strong business returns, FWEA produces and markets an international portfolio of award-winning brands from iconic estates like Beringer Vineyards and Chateau St. Jean in California, Penfolds, Rosemount and Wolf Blass in Australia, Castello di Gabbiano in Italy, and Matua Valley in New Zealand. Many of these estates were founded by pioneers in their regions and continue to craft wines at the forefront of quality, innovation and regional expression. More information can be found at http://www.fosterswineestates.com/.

Agustin Huneeus works to restore Napa River Habitat

Napa River Restoration Phase 1 Is Done
Vineyard owners sacrificed land to rebuild riparian habitat

by Paul Franson, Wines & Vines, Nov 24, 2009

Members of the Rutherford Dust Restoration Team tour the first completed stretch of an ambitious project to repair Napa River habitat.

Rutherford, Calif. -- Yesterday, the Rutherford Dust Restoration Team celebrated completion of the first stage of its ambitious plan to restore the Napa River to reduce erosion and provide better habitat for fish and other animals.The small ceremony at vintner Agustin Huneeus’ home at Quintessa Estate marked the restoration of the river’s east bank for 1.5 miles south of Zinfandel Lane, along the boundary of Quintessa. Land owned by the Guggenhime family is also affected, and excess dirt removed is being stored at Carpy-Connolly Ranch for building new levees.

Vintner Agustin Huneeus sacrificed up to anacre of precious Rutherford vineyardto accommodate the restoration. Huneeus admitted, “I entered this process reluctantly, as any proprietor feels strongly about his land.”

“The only reason I agreed was that I never thought it would happen,” he added, probably jokingly. “John Williams (of Frog’s Leap Winery) and Andy Beckstoffer were the cheerleaders, but I had to be the first guinea pig.”

The group is seeking more funds. Next year it hopes to restore the west bank along the same stretch, then proceed south. The project will ultimately restore 4.5 miles of the river to Oakville Cross Road, where vineyard owners are planning a similar project. It’s funded by the landowners, Napa County Measure A funds and the recent Federal Stimulus Act.

Measure A is the Napa River flood control project, approved by Napa County voters in 1998, which primarily supports watershed activities in the county’s unincorporated areas. It includes funding from a county sales tax.

It’s a large project that involves sacrifice on the part of the landowners. Huneeus said he lost between 0.5 acres and 1 acre of vineyards, and the total project will take out about 18 acres of Napa land that might sell for as much as $250,000 per acre and produce expensive wine. Huneeus acknowledged, however, that he still has about 180 acres of vines on the hilly 280-acre property. He added, “It’s giving up a small amount of land to protect the rest.”

The project began in 2002, when the board of directors of the Rutherford Dust Society, an association that includes more than 30 wineries and 60 grapegrowers in the Rutherford AVA, voted unanimously to create a subcommittee, the Rutherford Dust Restoration Team (RDRT), and initiate a plan to manage and restore the river.

This committee is chaired by board member Davie Piña, owner of Piña Vineyard Management, and includes more than 25 riverside property owners. There are 29 landowners along this stretch; a few have declined to participate in the project.

In the intervening years, RDRT pioneered an innovative private-public partnership with Napa County to start the restoration. It took more than five years of engineering and ecological studies involving the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, National Marine Fisheries, California Department of Fish and Game and the State Water Board. Even archeological review was required.

A comprehensive design for the entire 4.5-mile reach was released in October 2008 for environmental and regulatory review; construction started in July 2009 at the upstream end of the project area at the Zinfandel Lane Bridge.

The project is one of the most ambitious initiatives of its kind, and one of the few comprehensive restoration projects in the region to move beyond planning into implementation.

The effort demonstrates how private initiatives can work both to enhance the quality of vineyard lands and help recover threatened aquatic species like native trout and salmon, species critical to the health and biodiversity of the San Francisco Bay estuary, into which the Napa River flows. County supervisor Diane Dillon, whose district includes the projects, said, “We didn’t need regulations to have this happen. It was a voluntary effort by the landowners.”

“To repair the main stem of the Napa River, to restore habitat, we need owner commitment, a holistic approach and supportive government agencies,” said John Williams, president of Frog’s Leap Winery and original RDRT co-chair. “So far, we have all three.”

RDRT is a constructive response to working in a highly regulated river environment. Historically, vineyard owners were often discouraged from pursuing their own restoration programs by the high cost and time required to coordinate with the multiple government agencies that oversee such programs. RDRT aggregates all these projects under one umbrella, which allows the group to coordinate investments and plans more efficiently than any individual landowner could by acting independently.

The project had multiple goals, including to stabilize the riverbanks to reduce erosion and fine sediment pollution, reduce flooding and protect and enhance fish and wildlife habitat. It provides a continuous corridor of riparian habitat for birds and wildlife.

It also brings some positive benefits for vineyard owners, including saving the valuable Rutherford dirt, and creating a riparian buffer to protect agricultural land uses and reduce Pierce’s disease-pressure on vineyards. Huneeus said that the winery had installed 25-foot-tall plastic sheets to prevent having its vineyards invaded by sharpshooters that live along the river; this project removed their host plants (notably periwinkle and blackberries) and also created a buffer.

The river’s path was widened by cutting away the banks for a gentle slope, and stabilizing the bank with temporary matting and then permanent plantings of native plants and trees like willows.

The effort typically moves the river reach back about 20 feet -- more in some locations. It also will replace sharp levees in flat areas with gradual slopes that can include vines. The total setback t o vines averages 50 feet.

The project also restored the habitat for salmonids and other aquatic species, including existing runs of steelhead trout and Chinook salmon, by creating more riffles, reducing sediment burial of spawning gravels, and increasing cover and shade. Invasive plants were replaced with native species.

In addition to Oakville growers in Napa Valley, who will extend the restoration nearly to the flood project restoration in the City of Napa, a similar project is planned in Sonoma County’s Dry Creek Valley. Despite his initial misgivings, Agustin Huneeus will attend a conference in Chile next month devoted to how Napa County has maintained its agricultural preserve. He intends to feature the river project as an example of the valley’s leadership in land stewardship.

Selena & Khary Cuffe- Heritage Link Brands - host conference

African Vintners Alliance hosts USA bigwigs at marketing conference

Wednesday, October 07, 2009 by Mike Ratcliffe, Warwick Wine Estate
posted in http://www.wine.co.za/news/news.aspx?NEWSID=14686&Source=Newsfeed

The newly reformed African Vintners Alliance (AVA) played host to some USA bigwigs this week in the Western Cape where US delegation were immersed into the wine industry for a week of intense observation and learning during which they experienced all aspects of the industry from a BEE perspective.

The week of immersion culminated in the conference on Friday at which all role-players were able to make presentations. The conference, co-hosted by Selena & Khary Cuffe, founders and co-owners of Heritage Link Brands, was a group strategy discussion on how best for BEE brands to develop the USA market. The American delegation included, amongst others, the following:

Ken Chase, 'wine consultant to the world' & head wine buyer for American Airlines
Chris Edwards from www.1-800.com, the biggest online network for wine, candy & flowers
Monica Lovejoy (Glazers - one of the largest wine distributing companies in the USA)
Schnell Blanton - Imperial beverages of Texas
Selena & Khary Cuffe (Heritage Link Brands from LA)
Geoff Neville - USA wine industry entrepeneur

Deputy director of the Department of Economic Development and Tourism in the Western Cape, John van de Rheede, described the program of workshops and industry communication strategy to encourage individuals to "embrace BEE voluntarily for the sake of their companies".

He emphasised the lack of any punitive measures in the legislation and described the benefits that could be derived by companies that are fully engaged in implementing the 'intention' of BEE.

AVA chairperson Malmsey Rangaka spoke eloquently about the South African wine industry, the slow pace of change in the industry and the challenges that face new entrants. She addressed the way in which the AVA collective strategy is allowing these seven members to pool their resources to effectively "take on this daunting challenge".

She lamented the slow implementation of preferential procurement policies by government and the fact that these fully compliant BEE wine entities continually need to "beg" for recognition at the door of government. She continued about the fact that many of the AVA stories are tales of hardship, but this is "who we are at the moment".

She also spoke of the American success that they are starting to enjoy at the moment through Heritage Link Brands and pointed to recent listings on American Airlines, United Airlines and the Wholefood retail chain amongst others.

Denise Dookoo, Provincial Specialist from SEDA (Small Business Development Agency) spoke about their mandate to support and assist small business to develop and grow themselves. Spoke about the 'practical things that SEDA needs to do to assist small business' within the context of limited and tightening budgets. "80% of our companies are emerging businesses and 20% are larger corporate businesses."

"This links in the Heritage between South Africa and the USA and that both respective countries have been through tough times especially from a racial context, and had come out of the other side stronger and wiser," concluded Selena Cuffe.

The event was filmed by a crew from CBS Nightly news for a documentary to be flighted across the USA.

Mike Ratcliffe is MD of Warwick Wine Estate and the American joint venture winery, Vilafonte. He is keenly interested and involved in empowerment and transformation issues in the South African wine industry. He sporadically reports for www.wine.co.za on industry issues.

W.R. Tisherman: Wine Enthusiast Magazine, Wine for All, Blogger at The Wine Skewer, and Editor in Chief of online Wine Magazine Palate Press

W. R. Tish (the professional name of William R. Tisherman), known to many simply as Tish, has been writing and speaking about wine and food for two decades.

After a psychology degree from Harvard (1982), a stint in ice cream (managed first Steve’s franchise outside of Boston, in College Park, Maryland, 1983-’84), an MFA in creative writing (American University, 1987) and a brief poetry career, Tish found himself proofreading at the magazine Friends of Wine.

He moved to New York in 1988 for the launch of Wine Enthusiast and went on to become executive editor, positioning it as a spunkier, funnier alternative to other wine magazines. Since 1998, Tish has written for In Style, Details, Private Clubs, Beverage Media, Better Homes & Gardens, Wine & Spirits and Westchester.

Through his New York-based firm Wine For All (“Pairing Wine and Fun Since the 20th Century”), founded in 1998, Tish has developed and led wine and food events for a variety of Fortune 500 corporations and law firms—not to mention private parties that would make Bacchus envious. At Institute of Culinary Education in Manhattan, Tish both teaches curriculum classes and leads hands-on-cooking parties. He has also taught at the Sarah Lawrence College; served as an auctioneer for charity wine auctions; and in 2006 became a certified instructor of Bordeaux wines.

Frequently called on to speak for the wine trade, Tish has led seminars on French regions Bordeaux, Loire Valley, Vacqueyras, Languedoc, Provence and Calvados; and Spanish regions Rioja and Jerez. (Yes, he does bachelorette parties and bar mitzvahs, too.)

Tish’s approach to wine veers naturally toward comedy. Wine For All has created lighthearted public events such as Desperate House Wines; Been There, Ate That; and The 13 Funniest Wines in America. Tish has also done standup in Manhattan as a “recovering wine critic,” and his annual April Fools parodies are eagerly awaited by industry peers. His unique and entertaining approach to gastronomy is captured in the motto “I drink, therefore I am; I eat, therefore I am more.”

Recent editorial projects include his own irreverent blog, The Wine Skewer; and the online wine magazine Palate Press (editor-in-chief).

He lives in Katonah, NY, with his wife, twin sons and an eclectic collection of wines.

HBS-in-Wine Meets in Napa Sept 8

Scott Becker (HBS '08) of Global Wine Partners LLC has orchestrated a luncheon at Vineyard 29 in St Helena, which is owned by Chuck McMinn (HBS '78).

Part of the meeting is to be devoted to discussing a serious of Business Challenge questions, take a look at http://winebiznews.blogspot.com/2009/09/best-and-brightest-inquiring-minds-want.html

The guest list includes wine businessmen from all walks of the industry -- grapegrowing, winemaking, distribution, marketing, finance, and organizations large and small, with current and past affiliations that represent the full spectrum of involvement:


*Bart Araujo, Araujo Estate
*Charlie Baxter, Wine Shipping
*Scott Becker, Global Wine Partners
*Lesley Berglund, WISE Academy, Aged Cabernet Trust, Wine Industry Technology Symposium, Ambrosia Wine Catalogue, Winetasting NetworkFred Fisher, Fisher Vineyards
* Steven Burrows, Southern Wine & Spirits
*George Coope, Patz & Hall, former director of The Coppola Companies, the parent company of Rubicon Estate and Francis Ford Coppola Presents LLC
*Fred Fisher, Fisher Vineyards, Spring Mountain
*Reed Foster, Vino Volo, Ravenswood Winery, Free the Grapes
*Lisa Goff, Crimson Wine Group
*Peter Grossman, WineCircle Inc, Bev-Mo
*Agustin Huneeus, Huneeus Vintners-Quintessa,Faust,Illumination, Primus, Veramonte
*Barbara Keck, WineBiz Communications & Consulting
*Amy Kennedy, Wine.com
* Phil Lamoreaux, Lamoreaux Vineyards
*David Mace, Duckhorn Wine Company/GI Partners
*Brad Mayer, Click Wine Group
*Chuck McMinn, Vineyard 29
*Arpad Molnar, Tricycle Wine Company
*Dom Paino, Rancho Salina Vineyard
*Bart Rhoades, Oxbow Public Market, Robert Mondavi Corporation board member
*MaryAnn Tsai, Luna Vineyards
*George Vare, Inertia Beverage, Zaca Mesa Winery, Luna Vineyards, Silverado Wine Partners, Henry Wine Group, Geyser Peak


Stay tuned for a follow-up on the meeting!

Patz & Hall, The Coppola Companies - George Coope

George Coope, Executive Vice President and Managing Director at Demeter Group, brings more than 20 years of investment banking and corporate development advisory experience with consumer and retail companies to the wine industry and other clients.

The Demeter website notes the following: "Prior to Demeter Group, he co-founded the food and beverage practice at Hambrecht & Quist LLC (H&Q). Overall, he has been involved in transactions totaling more than $3 billion. George also worked in R&D and operations at Miller Brewing and in corporate development at General Electric.

He is a director of Patz & Hall Wine Company, and a former director of The Coppola Companies, the parent company of Rubicon Estate and Francis Ford Coppola Presents LLC. George graduated with a BA in anthropology from Stanford University, an MS in food science and technology from the University of California at Davis and an MBA (1981) from Harvard Business School. "

WISE Academy, Aged Cabernet Trust, Wine Industry Technology Symposium, Ambrosia Wine Catalogue, Winetasting Network - Lesley Berglund

Lesley Berglund, an accomplished wine industry entrepreneur & CEO, is also a third generation Napa Valley native from a grape growing family.

Lesley is an accomplished wine industry entrepreneur, CEO and board member with a focus on driving industry change. Over the past 18 years in the wine industry she has started up the equivalent of seven new businesses, acquired and integrated four companies and led during periods of dramatic change. As co-founder and former CEO of the Ambrosia Wine Catalogue/the Winetasting Network (which she sold to 1-800 Flowers in 2004) she has deep experience in consumer direct marketing of fine wines.

Lesley has served on the board of nine wine-related companies and trade associations. In 2006, she co-founded the Specialty Wine Retailers Association. In 2008, she co-founded the WISE ACADEMY. This is awinery sales executive education business -- the only wine industry education, training and certification program dedicated solely to direct-to-consumer sales and marketing-- go to (WISE Academy) for more information.

Lesley serves as Co-Chair of both the Wine Industry Technology Symposium and the Green Wine Summit.

She also owns and operates the Aged Cabernet Trust, an aged Cabernet investment company that has provided successful returns to investors for the past 25 vintages.

Lesley has an MBA from Harvard Business School (Class of 1991)and a BA in Economics from Wesleyan University. She is a member of both the Young Presidents Organization and the Entrepreneurs Organization and has completed the Kellogg Woman’s Director Development program. Lesley is a third generation Napa Valley native from a grape growing family.

More about Aged Cabernet Trust: (from the website)

"For more than two decades, Aged Cabernet Trust has been engaged in the purchasing, aging and marketing of Cabernet Sauvignon. Each year, we raise money from investors to buy current release wines and store the wine until it is ready to be consumed. We then re-release the wines back into the market, selling them to a select group of wine enthusiasts, specialty wine retailers and exceptional restaurants.

Wines chosen to become part of our portfolio are all beautifully constructed, age-worthy wines, and have solid brand recognition that will guarantee interest in the years to come. Until re-released, when the aged wines are ready to be enjoyed, proper cellaring in a Napa-based bonded and temperature-controlled warehouse is insured.

To compare fine aged Cabernet Sauvignon with its youthful counterpart is nearly like comparing two different varietals. Colors evolve from purple and violet tints to progressively more brick red and eventually tawny colors. The fruit-forward aromas fade and a more complex nose develops. The taste changes, as stringent tannins fade and are replaced by a smoother and rounder mouth feel. In great aged Cabernet Sauvignon, these various taste and aroma components integrate, yielding more richness and complexity."

Grape Experience; WSET Instructor - Adam Chase

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ADAM CHASE holds a DWS (Diploma in Wines & Spirits) and is Candidate for MW.

Adam owns Grape Experience with offices in Boston and San Francisco, where he teaches all levels of the WSET program (Wine and Spirits Educational Trust). He is formerly the Associate Dean of Wine Studies at Copia in Napa, California.

WSET says, "He won't admit to it, but he is one of the "favorite" WSET instructors in America - his love and in-depth knowledge of wine always makes for an exciting class. Adam has worked in the wine industry for 10 years as an educator, retailer and consultant. He is an Associate with the Institute of Wine and Spirits and holds the Honors Diploma certification from London's Wine and Spirits Educational Trust. He is also a candidate for the Master of Wine."

Adam earned his MBA at Harvard in 1990.

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Steve's Margarita - Alfredo Faubel

Alfredo is Director of Sales and Marketing for Steve's Margarita [http://www.stevesmargarita.com/], a 12% alcohol premium agave wine based ready to drink cocktail bottled in Miami, FL. He spent the past three years on development and regulatory approval and is currently busy building distribution both in the US and overseas. Uniquely, his RTD margarita can be frozen and served in the bottle (see YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlgYfeNYa0E ) and sold with just a beer and wine license. Other cocktails - these based on orange wine - have now joined the margarita: Long island, bloody Mary, and cosmopolitan.

Prior to his entry in the wine business Alfredo spent nine years in the cocoa and coffee business, supplying ingredients for the food, cosmetic, pharmaceuticals, and tobacco products.

In addition, since 1996 Alfredo has been consulting to Latin American clients in need of new or improved business models. Alfredo holds a masters degree in chemical engineering from ETH Zurich (the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) and cut his PhD research short to get his MBA at Harvard, class of 1983.

He hails originally from Spain, is fluent in German and Spanish and resides in Miami since 1989.

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