Resources > Trade Talk

Who Gets the Box Seats?

by Dan Beekley

Did you hear that incredible noise in April? It was loud.

It was the sound the bathtub makes when it’s just about drained. You know… like a giant sucking sound?

The sound echoed throughout our warehouse.

April was a banner month for Chehalem, perhaps the best ever. Demand for our wine has never been higher, critical acclaim continues to amass, and there is more great wine on the way. The distribution pipeline is healthier than ever, we have pent up demand for new releases, and wines are moving fluidly off wine lists and through retail doors.

These are good times. But honestly, we’re worried.

Of course, winery people are concerned and worried by nature. But truth be told, being the flavor-of-the-month is not a healthy situation for long-term growth. Our best relationships are those that have been built and nurtured in small steps and over an extended period of time. Like in professional sports there are frontrunners and there are die-hards. The wine business is no different.

I’ve been selling Chehalem for almost five years. There was never a question in my customers’ minds about whether or not to buy the wine in so-called "off vintages." In fact, my customers understood perfectly that like in Burgundy or Bordeaux, Oregon is susceptible to variable vintage quality. But, not one of those customers purchase only the "press darling" wines. They buy every wine because they know that Chehalem produces bottles that are honest to the vintage and reflect most purely what the vintage offers. Every year. They support Chehalem completely and they constantly convey this message to their customers. Every day.

They are die-hards and they get the box seats.

I’ve been on the road for most of the last two months. There are so many interesting people in the wine biz. Response to our wines was positive and favorable. The lineup of wines shows beautifully. Many buyers are very aware of our recent string of accolades and flattering media. Closing sales was really pretty easy.

Welcome to the bandwagon. Glad to have you aboard.

So now that you frontrunners have scalped a couple of box seats, we want to know one thing: How do we get you to come directly to the ticket window next time? Or better yet, how about a season ticket plan?

We’re asking this question because of a letter we received from one of our best distributors who recently voiced concern about having continued success selling our brand:

"For the first time since we began selling Chehalem, I'm concerned about our ability to continue building the brand in our markets. Unfortunately, the price points we're now looking at only work when wineries get 'big' scores ...

"I understand the needs of small wineries, cash flow and otherwise. But, I also understand the need to build brands, both for you and for us. I think we really need to put our heads together and figure out how to avoid losing all the goodwill and momentum we've built up over the last three years."

This is provocative stuff. Harry and I discussed the subject matter for quite awhile. Its substance is cause for a lot of reflection and pondering.

Ultimately, we’re convinced of two things:

Harry and Cheryl are making the best wines since Chehalem’s inception and they will continue to do so.
We’re determined to operate a winery profitably.

But, we’re committed to more. One of those commitments is the continued support of those who have supported us. The writer is correct, we do need to put our heads together to figure out how to maintain years of goodwill and momentum.

We need to hear your stories. We need to know about your successes and your failures. We need to have a lot of heads together, and we need lots of people to spread the word. It is truly the only way we can get our season ticket base to expand. Chehalem is a perennial contender and we want to keep it that way.

Not even one losing season is acceptable.