Lieb Behind the Scenes – May 2015

Hello again, and happy May! Before I tackle the bigger subject of Wine Clubs, a quick report on what’s happening behind the scenes this month:

In the vineyard (our farm):
Bud break! In early May our pruned vines may still look brown and dormant to the novice observer, but if you get up close, you’ll notice tiny buds on the vines are starting to turn green and break open. This is called “bud break” and is the unofficial start of our annual growing season. It’s an exciting time for us vineyard folk because it signifies so many positive things: a new season, warmer temps, more visitors, fun events and the promise of another bountiful harvest. Bud break leaves me smiling for days. But my optimism is tempered by a healthy dose of anxiety. Truth be told, what we don’t often talk about is the fact that the new season also means lots of costly work, materials and man hours in the vineyard. On the North Fork of Long Island, average annual farming cost per vineyard acre is $7,000. We farm 85 acres. You can do the math. That’s a whole lot of cost that needs to be paid for by a whole lot of sales. So while bud break is certainly exciting, it also puts the pressure on GM’s like me to ensure that we’re reaching sales goals. Deep breaths. Let’s also not forget the ever-looming possibility of a weather event or another issue (deer, disease, etc.) that could mean damage to our precious crop. Mother Nature blessed us with near perfect conditions in 2013 and 2014. Could we be so lucky to hit the trifecta and see a fantastic 2015? Please?

In the Tasting Rooms:
Traffic seems to increase every weekend in the spring leading up to the busy summer season. May is when we begin to see new faces, groups, and families. Our patio and lawn areas are open and dressed with picnic tables, wicker couches and fire pits. Reds take a back seat as whites and rosé begin to dominate. This year, we’re offering all 5 of our Bridge Lane wines in 3L boxes. I look forward to taking a look at bottle vs. box sales at the end of each month. In March, we sold 95 boxes in our tasting rooms. In April, 195. Have we succeeded in making #farmtobox wine “a thing”!? Fingers crossed.

In Wholesale:
I’m happy to report that our upward trend in distributor sales continued through April! I haven’t received depletion reports from all of our distributors, but based on the flurry of orders, I’m confident sales were pretty stellar. Best sellers in wholesale so far this spring? Pinot Blanc (given), Rosé (duh) and… White Merlot!? White Merlot has historically been a tough sell for us in the wholesale channel. Likely because most people see it on a shelf and don’t know what it is  is it a white? Is it a red? Is it sweet? In our tasting rooms, customers sample it and love it. It’s dry and light and (surprisingly) tastes like Chenin Blanc. Apparently word is spreading beyond our tasting rooms. And that’s music to my ears.

At the Winery (our production facility):
Typically we bottle in 3 rounds every year. In Jan-Feb, it’s a mad dash to finish and bottle current vintage Bridge Lane Rosé. In Mar-Apr, we bottle current vintage Lieb Pinot Blanc, Bridge Lane Chardonnay, White Merlot, White Blend, and Lieb reserve reds (Merlot, Cab Franc and in great years – Meritage and Petit Verdot) from the previous vintage which have by then spent 16 months aging in oak barrels. Done and done! Round 3 will happen this month and consists of current vintage (2014) Bridge Lane Red Blend, which only see 6 months of oak, and what I call our “fancy” wines. These are our Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine and special-project wines that we may not necessary NEED but are certainly fun to experiment with. Last year we made a killer White Dessert Wine composed of Pinot Blanc, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. This year we’re producing our first ever Lieb Cellars Sparkling Rosé. The wine gods (meaning Russell) have answered my prayers! I LOVE sparkling rosé! CAN NOT WAIT. (It’s scheduled for a Memorial Day weekend public release.)

Of course we’re also filling boxes and kegs constantly. Small batch, baby! In fact, I’m stalk-texting Russell right now trying to find out when more White Blend boxes are going to be ready because a distributor truck is coming to pick them up this afternoon. Answer me, Russell!! (Russell, meanwhile, is likely dodging my texts and cursing the day he agreed to make box wine 🙂 ).

That concludes my snapshot of current behind-the-scenes happenings. As promised, a few words now on our main event: Wine Club. First of all, you know what Wine Clubs are, right? Around here (and in most other regions), clubs are offered to customers who are fans of a particular winery and are designed to provide them with a series of wines on a quarterly basis. The wines are pre-selected and can either be picked up at the winery or shipped directly to members’ homes. In return for their commitment to paying for these wines, wineries offer members special benefits. Sounds pretty simple? It’s not. Let me break it down:

Why do wineries have Wine Clubs?
Two reasons are fairly obvious. First, we need them because they create a reliable, consistent revenue stream. When our tasting rooms are slow in March, we know we’ll be ok because of our March wine club shipment. Second, they also create loyal customers. Members get their quarterly shipments but they also visit, buy additional wine and often act as volunteer ambassadors, spreading the good word about the winery whose club they belong to. Our businesses are built on word of mouth, and members are a huge part of that equation. The third reason is the one that’s not often talked about, but dammit, I’m going to say it! Wineries need wine clubs as a channel for depleting excess inventory. Now, before you go quitting our club, know that our inventory position is one of MANY considerations that go into choosing a wine club selection. First and foremost, our wines are chosen based on which wines Russell and I feel are either 1) drinking really well or 2) particularly appropriate for the season. Offering you the best possible selection is priority #1, but if we’re tossed between 2 wines, we’re going to choose the one that we have more of every time. I suspect some clubs out here and many “Wine of the Month” clubs online do, however, use their Wine Clubs to straight-up get rid of crap. So watch out for that.

What do customers get out of being a Wine Club member?
Perks! If we do the pros and cons, con: You get charged every quarter for the wine. Pros: You get discounts, free tastings, access to exclusive and/or discounted events and special wines. At Lieb every quarter, we include at least one pre-sell (a wine that has not yet been released to the public) or library wine (a wine that has been retired but we have a small amount of reserved in our library). These are often wines that have just come off the bottling line or have been aging in a special hidden corner of our cellar for years. They’re really cool! And members are the ONLY ones who get them! For these reasons, becoming a member is a no brainer to me IF you really like a winery and can take advantage of these perks.

What are a winery’s biggest challenges when it comes to their Wine Clubs?
Differentiation, acquisition, retention. Differentiation because we all have clubs and ours needs to stand out. Acquisition because our tasting room staff has a lot of products to sell and wine clubs are one of many. Retention because once you sign up, there are a whole host of reasons why you might want to cancel. I’ve spent a lot of time with our kick @ss wine club manager, Dana, and tasting room staff, to figure out exactly how to make our wine club the best in the region. I think we’ve accomplished it. But you’ll have to sign up to find out.

Ok, that’s a wrap!

Next month we’ll be in full-on summer mode, so it’d probably be a good time to address the subject of controversial tasting room policies (e.g. NO LIMOS, NO FOOD, NO KIDS) and what goes into our decisions regarding them.

Til then, cheers! (me with a glass of Rosé FROM A BOX this time)
Ami Opisso
General Manager & Certified Sommelier, Lieb Cellars