Wine Tasting: Independent Producers (Naked Wines)

As the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) has loosened restrictions on consumers' access to wine sales from out of state in the last few years, a number of Internet Wine Clubs have opened up their services to Pennsylvania residents, allowing them to select and purchase wine online and have it shipped directly to their homes or businesses. 

In this most recent class of mine, we sampled an array of wines from Naked Wines  https://us.nakedwines.com//  which is based in California and supports independent growers and winemakers from around the world, including France, Italy, Spain, Australia, New Zealand and California.

Overall, class attendees were impressed with the quality of the wines, although the Rod Easthope Sauvignon Blanc caused some dissension among the ranks; on the other hand, Oscar's White Douro was a clear winner to several imbibers, including myself.

As for the reds, the Arabella Shiraz and the Karen Birmingham Zinfandel were highly appreciated in both classes, and for Pinot Noir aficionados, the Scott Kelly from Oregon was very impressive, especially given its price point. In fact, this was the real standout for me, as much as I liked the Arabella and the Birmingham.

The Minervois and the Cabernet Sauvignon were quite average and did not leave a lasting impression. But remember, if you're not satisfied, just ask for your money back and you will be credited promptly with no hassle with Naked Wines policy.  I've only had to do this once and it was no problem.  

In general, their wines are of good quality and a good value - mostly in the $10-20 range once you're a member.  So if you're in the market to shop online for wines, this may be a good place to start.

Rod Easthope Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2017

 

Appellation/Region: Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand 

Varietal: 100% Sauvignon Blanc

Production/Tasting Notes:  On the nose notes of gooseberry, elderflower, fennel; bright, zesty acidity; passion fruit and citrus flavors; medium bodied; long finish

Food  Pairing: seafood, hard cheeses, goat cheese salad, aperitif

Alcohol: 12.5%

Oscar’s (Quevedo) White Douro 2016

Appellation: Douro, Portugal

Varietals: Viosinho (50%), Gouveio (45%), Arinto (5%)

Production/Tasting Notes: Crushed and pressed berries were fermented with temperature control at 18ªC; after fermentation, aged for two month on the lees; bottled in February 2017; full nose of tropical fruits backed with some citrus, reminiscent of pear, passion fruit, and lemon zest blended with a touch of white pepper; smoothly textured, medium to full bodied white; limoncello, fine minerality; finishes with clean citrus flavor that lingers on and excites the taste buds.

Food pairing: seafood, salads, aperitif

Alcohol:  13%

Benjamin Darnault Minervois 2015

Appellation : Minervois Appellation d’Origine Protegee (AOP)  (Languedoc-Roussillon, SW France)

Varietals: Old Vine Grenache blend

Production/Tasting Notes:  rich, ripe berry flavors, smooth, medium-bodied

Food Pairings: roast pork;

Alcohol: 13%

Scott Kelley Pinot Noir 2016

Appellation/Region: Oregon

Varietal: 100%  Pinot Noir

Production/Tasting Notes: Fermented in concrete and oak vessels; aromas of black cherries, berries, hints of vanilla, toasty spice; juicy, light to medium bodied

Food  Pairings :  chanterelle mushroom risotto; roast chicken, pizza, burgers

Alcohol: 14.5%



F. Stephen Miller Cabernet Sauvignon 2016




Appellation/Region: Sierra Foothills, California
Varietals: 100%  Cabernet Sauvignon
Production/Tasting Notes:  dark red fruit, silky vanilla and spice; full-bodied
Food Pairing: grilled porterhouse steak with grilled asparagus; robust red pasta sauces
Alcohol: 14.5%

Arabella Reserve Shiraz Viognier 2016

Appellation: Western Cape, South Africa

Varietals: 95% Syrah, 5% Viognier

Production/Tasting Notes: rich plummy, jammy fruit; moderate acidity and tannins; soft, silky finish with addition of Viognier;

Food  Pairing: beef, lamb, spicy foods

Alcohol: 14.5%

Karen Birmingham Zinfandel 2015 

Appellation/Region :  Lodi, California

Varietal: 100%  Zinfandel

Production/Tasting Notes: Aged in oak barrels; blend of new and old vine fruit; aromoas of licorice, fennel, perfume; smooth; woodsy dark berries; peppery finish

Food Pairings: Burgers, barbecue ribs, grilled meats, hearty pasta/lasagna

Alcohol: 15% 

Notes on Winemakers

Scott Kelley: The Pinot Noir expert who made Robert Mondavi Private Selection and Estancia Pinot Noir for over a decade.

Karen Birmingham honed her wine-making skills  working for years at sustainable winery LangeTwins (with David Akiyoshi).

Consultant oenologist Benjamin Darnault has clients all over the South of France, which means he gets to cherry-pick the very best grapes the region has to offer. Voted 2011 Winemaker of the Year by UK Naked Wines members.

Rod Easthope left his full-time post as Chief Winemaker at Craggy Range, New Zealand's most iconic winery, to set-up-shop alone and make an exclusive range of wines just for Naked Wines, using grapes from Hawke's Bay, Marlborough and Central Otago.

Stephen de Wet was selected as 2009 Winemaker of the Year by UK members. Grows grapes in the Robertson Valley in South Africa. Started the Arabella winery from scratch in 2006.

Interview with Rowan Gormley, Founder of Naked Wines

Right, ok, so give me the lowdown on Naked Wines:

Well, the idea behind Naked Wines is that: you shouldn't need to be rich to drink great wine. Because great wine doesn't cost a lot of money to make - it only costs a lot of money to sell.

We are a subscription-based, crowdfunded wine retailer. The business model is a virtuous circle: so our customers crowdfund our wine makers. That means the wine makers don't need to waste time and money selling to the customers, which means they are able to give us the wine at preferential prices and we pass those onto our customers.

You started Naked Wines in 2008 during an economic downturn, how was it getting this new business model up and running during that time?

Well, I think probably because it was such a bizarre time, that was what probably made us bold enough to say: instead of just setting up a slightly better wine retailer, offering slightly better product, at slightly better prices – it made us bold, and said: if we're going to change people's behavior in the middle of a down-turn, we need to offer something that is so fantastic that even in a downturn people will change their behavior.

What was the original reaction to the business model? Because I guess crowdfunding wasn’t as well-known back then.

I don't think the word had even been invented then!

I think the reaction - there just wasn't one. We'd get about 20 orders a day. We were all sitting there twiddling our thumbs. 

Then, somehow the flywheel starts turning, and starts gaining momentum. It's partly that we got the message right and we got the execution right on the site. It was also about building up a core of customers, that when someone went along to the website and said: “what's all this Naked Wine stuff?” there were other people there for them to talk to.

How long did it take for you to turn a profit?

We turned profitable halfway through our third year, and we've been profitable ever since.

What’s the stats?

We've sold 10 million bottles of wine last year (2013) 200 000 Angels, who are the people that fund us, who give us 60 million EUR a year to invest in wine.

I came across Naked Wines through vouchers I’ve seen in deliveries from Amazon for example, and I noticed on your site as well, that you go on it say “do you have a voucher”. 

It seems to be quite a prominent marketing tool; I just wanted to know what the idea behind this was?

The idea was – to get people to change their behavior is pretty hard. To get people to try something new is pretty hard. And we're confident that once people have tried it, they'll keep buying. So being such a good deal, people who would normally go “no I can’t be bothered” give it a shot.

What do you think was the biggest challenge when setting up this business?

Definitely people. When we set up Naked Wines in the UK it was very straightforward. Because seventeen of use left, we were quite a cohesive team, everybody knew the other people could do their job so everyone just focused on getting their own job done – and I had the luxury of being able to take only people who I knew were brilliant.

When we set up in the US for example, we've got 65 staff in the US, and I just never really appreciated how hard it is to hire effectively. And after I've made a few mistakes, I started reading about it and saw that it's not unusual to be... that 1 in 2 is a good hit rate. We're a small business, it's a tough thing to be dealing with. So definitely people is the hardest thing.

Did you come across any tips you'd give to other people who are hiring?

I tended to hire people who were like me – instead of hiring people who were complementary to me, and had strengths where I was weak.

The second thing is, you go through the interview process, offer someone a job - and by lunch time on their first day you knew they were wrong for the job. We thought “How do we take that first morning of the job and actually put it into the interview process so that we can avoid those mis-hires?” and that's been very effective.

And lastly what do you think was kind of key to your success so far?

Never giving up. I think it’s key to being an entrepreneur. It's not creative genius, or technical ability; you just got to really want it.. Almost always your first idea doesn't work.

-          YPHonline.com  6/24/2014