Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/369547
w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m S e p t - O c t 2 014 | V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T 1 1 1 past, there were also plenty of points we missed on. This was the case when we got imagina- tive and produced Silver Label Cabernet at high volume and low margin. Later we started making wines with car themes that we were supposed to sell wholesale. But it was at that point I realized there was no chance for success if we had too many products in the marketplace. For that rea- son, over the past few years I've been purging most of our high-volume wines, put- ting more emphasis on our estate wines, and cutting the production of the Silver Label in half. [ V&WM ] Tell us about the new Gold Label Cabernet Sau- vignon you released in May. [ DC ] For starters, I think we've learned there's a Bordeaux- style thread through each one of the red wines we make with our estate fruit. So w h e n i t c o m e s t o the tactical approach i n t h e m a r k e t p l a c e , I'm not going to put a w i n e o u t t h e r e i f it's not going to over- deliver for the price- p o i n t . I ' m a l s o n o t going to have a person come up to my father and say they had a real bad bottle of his wine. It's just not going to happen. With the Gold Label it's really a two-pronged plan. In the old days, the Baby Boomers who now represent near- ly 60% of the wealth of the country would drink all the Olive Hill Cab. Then the crash came. So when they couldn't afford to drink Olive [ V&WM ] Explain the status of your popular Silver Label Cabernet Sauvignon, which in the past was sold to a wide range of fine restau- rants, large-scale markets like Cost- co, and other retail venues. [ DC ] On the national level, when the Silver Label was origi- nally released in 1992, the wine was mainly comprised of declassi- fied Olive Hill Estate fruit and 90% was only sold to res- taurants. But over time the same consumers who pur- chased that wine either by the glass or bottle at restau- rants began inquiring about where they could purchase t h e w i n e a t r e t a i l . T h a t 's when we got on the tread- mill and started sourcing fruit from Paso Robles and North Coast appellations to meet demand. As the produc- tion of the Silver Label s t a r t e d t o i n c r e a s e , the numbers became 60/40 on-premise. I want to get back to where we were, so ultimately, it will only be ultra-premium restaurants that will pour the Silver Label by the glass because w e w o n ' t b e m a k - i n g e n o u g h t o s u p - ply everyone else. To move in this direction, we dressed the Silver Label in a sexy new label and raised the retail to $25 per bottle to help slow down the sales of that item. It's the first price increase in 20 years, but it's time has come. [ V & W M ] W h a t 's your focus now in pro- moting the B.R. Cohn brand? [ D C ] To m e , i t 's about making sure peo- ple know about the three main components the winery is based o n : v i n e y a r d - d e s i g n a t e w i n e s , estate-grown grapes and family- owned and operated. While we did these things really well in the Priced at $40 at retail, B.R. Cohn's new Gold Label Cabernet Sauvignon was created to fill a niche between its $25 Silver Label and $60 Olive Hill cabernets. Hill every day, they started drinking the Silver Label. But now many young people and people from my generation a r e m a k i n g m o r e m o n e y. A n d although they can't afford Olive Hill that often, they can kick it up to the level of Gold Label, which retails around $40 depending on where you buy it. So by releasing this new wine, we can now meet the demands and desired price- points of consumers by offer- ing a $25 Silver Label, a $40 Gold label, a $60 Olive Hill and a $100 Special Selection. After the debut of the Gold Label, my job is now to find strategic partners that can help us market this new item and other premium-plus wines in the best possible way. For the winery, this is an important launch that's very exciting for me, my family and the brand. [ V&WM ] What's the premise behind the upcoming expansion of the culinary and music programs at the winery? [ DC ] We've always tried to craft unique experiences for wine club members and visitors, but over the past few years, I've noticed that there was a lull in the valley between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. when the tasting rooms close and visi- tors are looking for something to do before dinner. With that in mind, we are building our culinary and music programs to provide our guests with experiences that will bring them back more often. This can mean a live acoustic musical act; a meal prepared by a guest chef; a cooking demonstration; a book signing party, or something as simple as offering picnic baskets with bread, cheese and wine to enjoy on the shady grassy knoll in the olive grove. Ultimately, our goal is to reward everyone who visits our property. Christopher Sawyer is a somme- lier, wine educator and critic who travels around the globe following wine trends and judging wine in international competitions. Comments? Please e-mail us at feedback@vwmmedia.com.