Dear Friends,
I’m sitting here in my cubicle on the 40th floor of 225 Liberty Street. After 25 years of wine retail, wine wholesale, wine bars, wine lists, wine portfolios, I decided to see what non-wine jobs were like. Since 2008 I wanted to understand why people were camping in Zuccotti Park – I felt compelled to learn about Wall Street, being that is one of my favorite movies (the original). Fast forward to now, having moved away from under the umbrella of a wine portfolio sales gig and into Financial Advisory – I’ve found the freedom to develop the most creativity I’ve had in wine world to date. Sometimes you need to get out to see back in.
Back when I was begging sommeliers to taste Poulsard with me, I had an insight about the average consumer and why they could name 45 types of cheese but when you asked if they could name 1 type of Sauvignon Blanc their head would explode. I thought that if we could simplify the appellation system, our friends who don’t focus on wine all day would learn to enjoy what the wine map has to offer. So I took the notion of ‘brand’ and authenticity and married the 2. With the help of my best friend Emily who designs book covers, we created a gorgeous old Britain looking elegance. As a testament to the label, at least 2 competitors have endeavored to copy it. (I guess that’s a compliment).
I now have a direct line from Europe to my wholesale friends in NY and NJ. We have opened up a few more states like Maine (!!). The Vine Collective is kindly clearing for us, which is how we can keep our prices very friendly (winery-direct).
We have now 4 wines and a few more to come:
-Jean Marc Barthez Bordeaux Blanc ‘17 and Rouge ‘15
-Pascal Biotteau Anjou ‘17
-Pierre Vidal Costieres de Nimes ’16
All $12ish retail
Please let me know if you would like details and have 8 minutes to taste and catch up.
Yours,
Mary
