Savant Wines Notebook

I want to import wine into the US

You cannot "just" ship wine into the US from abroad.  It has to be brought into the country via an importer.  There are lots of costs and much paperwork involved.  One of the biggest issues with shipping logistics - is how to bring in a small quantity at an affordable cost.

The standard way product is shipped into the US is via a container, which comes over on a cargo ship.  A standard container holds 1120 cases (20 pallets) which is typically way too much wine for your average person just getting started in the wine importation business, or for personal use (even when you include orders for your entire extended family!)  Thus a person in this situation has to look for a shipping consolidator to co-load their product with someone else.  This can cause many delays, more expenses and other issues.  Plus, you still need an importer of record.  You may be unwilling or unable to go through the licensing requirements and costs to become an importer.

Enter - Adventures in Wine.  They are an importer and distributor based in California.  A few years ago I became aware of a side business they were conducting - allowing other people (even consumers) to use their import license to bring wine into the country.  This opens up a world of possibilities for the average consumer or small business person just getting started in the wine importation business.

This service can be very useful to:

• Individuals - this allows you to import wine for yourself from small producers that do not import to the US.  Did you find the most fantastic wine on your trip last year to Southern France?  Many producers have exclusive import agreements with a chosen importer in the US - so those producers would be off limits, but many do not. 
• Individuals - who have a cousin back in Baden, an uncle in Sicily, or an aunt in Provence (making the most amazing wine of course!)  Now you have a way to get this wine into the country for personal consumption and/or for samples to use as sales tools to get try to get distribution in the US. 
• Want to try out importing? - This can be a way you can get a small amount of product into the country so you can get your wine importation business started on a shoe string.  (Caveat: I am not a lawyer and this is not business advice.  I recommend you consult with a lawyer before signing any business contracts.)

Adventures in Wine website here you can find their importation policies and pricing.

There are notable expenses not included here - such as the cost to get the product from the winery to the shipping dock in the EU, and the cost to get the product from the landing dock/importer's warehouse to you, in the US.  FYI: Wine in the EU is typically sold "ex-cellar", meaning you pay all costs once the wine leaves the cellar door.  At the wholesale level, wine in the US is typically sold "FOB" (freight on board) this means the buyer pays all costs from the point of origin (ie: importer's warehouse.)  So the costs listed in the agreement above are not all inclusive, they are ex-cellar and FOB.  You need to add these to the importation cost to come up with the final figure.  You will want to factor in all costs before you make a decision.

Happy importing!

How to find wine online

Trying to figure out how to find a wine locally that you had on your last vacation in wine country?  I get this question all the time and I typically refer people to Wine Searcher. 

As a wine consultant, I use Wine Searcher every day, at least 10 times a day.  It is on my internet toolbar I use it so often.  It is a massive database, filled by retailers with wine for sale, from all around the world.  I need to know what the "market visibility" and average retail price is for any wine, before it can be considered for purchase for a client.  Market visibility refers to how many retail listings there are for a particular wine.  My clients are typically looking for wine that is limited in production and not widely available.  So, I am typically looking for wines that have 25 or fewer retail listings, nationwide.

Wine Searcher allows me to see what is going on in New Jersey and North Carolina at the same time.  However, Wine Searcher also makes my job more difficult, especially with European imports.  Wine from Europe is often imported into New Jersey on the east coast.  It then has to be trucked across the country to California, where I purchase wine for my clients.  Sometimes the same wine sold in New Jersey will retail for less then what I can purchase it for wholesale.  None the less, Wine Searcher has been become a necessary evil in retail world.  It can be both boon and bogey.  Read more about why in this article in the LA Times: Wine Searcher levels the playing field.

When you are using Wine Searcher to look for a wine, start with a general search and then get more specific.  So, start with the winery or brand name and look for it on a national level.  Then add in the varietal.  Next, narrow your search to your particular state.  Not all retailers list all information about every wine - so if you search for something very specific (such as vintage), you may not find listings, even though the wine is sold in your state.

Women choose wine

Review the results from the latest Gallup Poll to see where wine, beer and liquor consumption rates stand in the USA. 

Wine hasn't recovered it's one time lead over beer (back in 2005 by 3 percentage points)but it still ranks highest for women in all age groups, as the alcoholic beverage of choice.  Overall, among those who consume alcohol, beer is the drink of choice at 41%, followed by wine at 32% and liquor at 21%.

7/30/2010

Getting a Job in the Wine Business

I came across this book today:  Launch Your Wine Career 

I haven't had time to get it/read it, as of yet,  so this is not a review.  However, it is the only book on the topic that I have seen (this is not an endorsement, just an observation.)  I will try to find it locally and post a review.  Send me an email if you have it.

It addresses one of the top questions I get in class.  But I wonder, how specific are the examples in this book?  Are they realistic?  Can students actually put into action what they recommend?  At $20 though, it is a heck of a lot cheaper then a class of a similar title that is being offered in LA for $150+ (which brings to mind the California lemon law.)

The subtitle of this book irks me: "Dream Jobs in America's Hottest Industry." Selling people on the idea that they can read one book and get a "dream job" is ... need I say it?  Completely unrealistic.  Furthermore, I don't know of any "dream jobs" to begin with.  And "hottest industry"?  Uh-huh.  Sounds like the marketing department at work here.

Here is a plus - one of the authors is an instructor at Sonoma State - and I have heard very good things about their "How to Manage a Tasting Room" courses.  I would assume that this book came out of questions arising in those classes. 

I typically recommend that students take a look at this website for a REALISTIC idea of potential jobs: Wine Business Monthly - Wine Jobs.  (Sorry, I don't see a category for "dream jobs"....)  If you see a job that looks appealing, then look to see what the requirements are, and then start working towards achieving them.  Yes, lots of boring things will be required: excel, word, a bachelor's degree, sales experience, etc.

The way I look at it is, you have 2 choices to get in the wine business (assuming you don't want to be a winemaker and/or you can't afford to buy a winery):

1. Get an entry level "starter" job (usually paying $30K/year) and move up as fast as possible
2. Look for "cross-over" work.  This entails taking something you are already doing and finding a way to apply it to the wine trade.