A lot can be learned through collaborating. Even how to stay calm during a pandemic when your Italian partner is in the thick of it. Calm with the perspective of 26 generations of winemaking and having survived two World Wars. Juan Munoz-Oca, Head Winemaker for Ste Michelle Wine Estates, Washington State's leading wine company, describes what he's learned and the process of collaborating with other luminaries of the wine world, including the Antinori Family, Dr Loosen, and Michel Gassier from the Rhone Valley.  Detailed Show Notes: Juan's backgroundIn WA with Ste Michelle Wine Estates ("SMWE") for 21 yearsHead of winemaking for the entire groupSte Michelle Wine EstatesBased in WA state - 6 wineries (Chateau Ste Michelle ("CSM"), Columbia Crest, 14 Hands, Spring Valley, Northstar, Col Solare)OR (Erath), CA (Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, Conn Creek, Patz & Hall)Built the WA wine region, produces ~⅔ of the wine in the stateThe largest producer of Riesling in the worldCollaborations - all w/ Chateau Ste MichelleCol Solare - Red Mountain, Cabernet, 50/50 JV w/ the Antinori Family (Italy), planted a vineyard in the early 2000s, built a winery in 2006, started in the mid-90sEroica - Riesling with Ernie Loosen (Mosel, Germany) started in the 1990sTenet - Columbia Valley; Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre; w/ Michel Gassier & Philippe Cambie (deceased)What drove the collaborations? A personal touch and relationshipWA is a young grape-growing region that only started quality winemaking in the late 90s -> wanted to bring attention to the region and gain knowledgeEx-CEOs important to establishing collaborations - Allen Shoup (founded Longshadows Winery, which has 7 wines and 7 collaborations); Ted Baseler - was part of marketing team when Col Solare was launched and started Eroica with Ernie LoosenCollaboration processWinemaking - spring (taste previous vintage, blend, walk the vineyards), late summer (get a feel for the grapes, walk the vineyards), winter (taste wines - e.g., 250-300 lots of Riesling for Eroica)Renzo (Antinori's head winemaker) comes more often due to SMWE's partnership w/ Antinori on Stag's Leap Wine CellarsCSM winemaking team does day-to-day workSales & Marketing - up to the partners, SMWE salesforce sells the wine, SMWE marketing works with partners and does most of the workSMWE imports the entire Antinori portfolio, so they have a broader collaborationKey benefitsEnjoyment of making wine togetherGetting a global perspectiveWinemaking informs the rest of the portfolio's winemaking (e.g., extended lees aging for Riesling from Ernie Loosen, keeping more leaves in the canopy for Syrah from Michel Gassier)Collaboration business modelsCol Solare - 50/50 JV, including vineyards, winery, & inventory; work together closely on marketingEroica - 50/50 for inventory and brand, no other assets; up to 200k cases in a big year; most marketing done by SMWE, less from LoosenTenet - Michel Gassier gets a portion of earnings and an annual fee that covers his travel; as small as 300 casesHave business meetings 2x/year for sales and marketing strategyKeys to success for collaborationsHave a clearly articulated visionKeep an open mind to learn from the otherDesired new collaborationsSparkling wine w/ Nicolas Feuillatte (Champagne)Argentine wine / Malbec w/ Catena Family - loves their focus on terroir Get access to library episodes Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.