It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of artist, musician, wine business advisor and co-founder of Global Wine Partners, Vic Motto, at his home in Florida on September 1, 2024. In honor of Vic, we would like to revisit our first episode. 

Questions? Comments? [email protected]

Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/

Music: Nate Collison

Logo Photography: John Corcoran

Vineyard appraiser Tony Correia and M&A Advisor Carol Collison engage in a wide-ranging discussion on the economics of today’s wine industry:  Who’s buying vineyards in California today and why, how the bankruptcy of Vintage Wine Estates is affecting the market for winery facilities and brands, and what today’s market implies for transaction volumes in 2025.

http://correiaco.com/index.html

Questions? Comments? [email protected]

Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/

Music: Nate Collison

Logo Photography: John Corcoran

There are lots of ways to be successful in the wine business, and lots of ways to fail. In this conversation with famed Napa winemaker Cathy Corison, you will hear about an artist’s approach to business success. Growth for the sake of it is not a value, indeed Cathy has kept the company the size it is (only 3,000 cases) so that she can have complete control of the production process from vine to bottle. Carol and Cathy talk about her experience of past wine industry downturns and the future of the winery now that her daughters are becoming involved. To Cathy, the keys to success in the wine business are standing for something, being passionate and a little bit crazy, taking the long view, and perhaps most important of all - being stubborn.

https://www.corison.com/

Questions? Comments? [email protected]

Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/

Music: Nate Collison

Logo Photography: John Corcoran

If you give your time to volunteering for trade organizations like the Grape Growers or Vintners in your area, are you guaranteed to sell your winery?  Karen Cakebread and Carol Collison talk about the professional benefits of this type of philanthropic work.  Karen tells the story of how, after many years of networking, she sold her Ziata wine brand to Trinchero Family Estates after a casual conversation at the Grape Growers fundraiser:  Stomp. 

https://www.harveststomp.com/

https://www.napagrowers.org/#gsc.tab=0

https://www.farmworkerfoundation.org/

https://www.ziatawines.com/

Questions? Comments? [email protected]

Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/

Music: Nate Collison

Logo Photography: John Corcoran

As a wine and grape broker, Steve Fredricks, President of Turrentine Brokerage, has been at the center of the grape and wine supply chain for over thirty years. In this interview Carol and Steve discuss the dynamics of the wine supply cycle. On the current weak wine and grape market Steve says, “We’re farther along than people may feel but we still have a ways to go.”  Listen to this conversation and learn a few things about how grape and wine brokers - who have comprehensive information on the market - serve the industry, and how these service providers help winery owners optimize their wine and grape supply. At the end of the conversation Steve lays out some keys to success which regular listeners to this podcast will recognize.

https://www.turrentinebrokerage.com/

https://www.turrentinebrokerage.com/wine-wheel/

Questions? Comments? [email protected]

Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/

Music: Nate Collison

Logo Photography: John Corcoran

Host Carol Collison reached out to Megan Bell - owner of the winery Margins - after reading a profile in the San Francisco Chronicle describing her difficult year to tell the story of the sales challenges the industry has faced in the past 12 months.  Carol and Megan talk about how she has bootstrapped the financing of the business she founded, from friends and family, crowd funding, working two jobs, stretching vendor payables, and traditional bank loans.  A “millennial” who started her winery at the age of 25, the conversation turns to the questions of what millennials want from the wine industry, and other interesting ideas for starting a wine business, including her recommendation for obtaining free advice from Small Business Development Centers. 

Mentioned in this episode:

https://www.marginswine.com/

https://www.sba.gov/local-assistance/resource-partners/small-business-development-centers-sbdc

Questions?  Comments?  [email protected]

Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/

Music: Nate Collison

Logo Photography: John Corcoran

Chris Sarles joins Carol Collison for a wide-ranging conversation about the wine business, distributors, and how wineries can succeed in this important sales channel.  The conversation is absolutely packed with ideas from how to be a successful executive; how distributors look at their winery partners (hint: if you’re a winery, you’re not the customer); and strategies for exiting a larger distributor relationship.  Other tips? We’ve heard this before: listen to the market and what the retailers and consumers want and need, not what you want to produce.

Questions?  Comments?  [email protected]

Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/

Music: Nate Collison

Logo Photography: John Corcoran

Occasionally the Small Fortune Podcast can’t book an interview. Everyone’s so busy these days! So host Carol Collison invited friend and founder of the wine industry accounting firm Tim Allen to join her for a wide ranging conversation on topics such as the current industry environment, demand changes and down cycles, do we understand the new wine drinkers?, how bad costing can tank a business, and Carol’s partner Mike Fisher’s talent as an expert witness, among other topics.

https://allengroupllp.com/

Questions? Comments? [email protected]

Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/

Music: Nate Collison

Logo Photography: John Corcoran

In its short life the Small Fortune podcast has talked to a number of professionals who were “there at the beginning” of the modern American wine industry and today is a wonderful example:  Fritz Hatton and Carol Collison talk about the history of the American wine auction, in which Fritz was a central player.  Early in his successful career at Christie’s, he helped to organize the first commercial wine auction in the United States, which was held in 1980.  The next year, Robert Mondavi and the Napa Valley Vintners held their first charity auction, Auction Napa Valley (which coincidentally is happening the week we are publishing this episode).  Fritz held the gavel for 26 years at this important event, which has raised tens of millions of dollars for local Napa community programs.  He also tells the story of his wine label, Arietta, which was founded from a mutual love of wine and classical music by Fritz and John Kongsgaard.

Mentioned in this episode:

https://ariettawine.com/

https://www.collectivenapavalley.org/

Questions?  Comments?  [email protected]

Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/

Music: Nate Collison

Logo Photography: John Corcoran

Jonjie Lockman caught the wine bug in her 30’s and decided to bring her passion for business operations to the industry when she joined Intervine in 2011.  Intervine provides wine as well as food and other beverage products to the airline industry.  A member of the “Association of Business Process Management Professionals”, Jonjie has an incredible drive for bringing effectiveness and efficiency to the complex effort of getting the right wines, to the right airports, at the right time.  Intervine is also an employee-owned company, and Carol asks Jonjie to talk about that process, since it is a model that some winery owners might consider when they are considering how to exit their businesses.

https://www.intervineinc.com/

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/e/esop.asp

Questions?  Comments?  [email protected]

Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/

Music: Nate Collison

Logo Photography: John Corcoran