Small Fortune Podcast

Ep 37: Peter Ficklin Has ’57 California Ports for Sale

In today’s episode, Carol talks with Peter Ficklin, 3rd generation proprietor of Ficklin Vineyards, a California port producer founded in Madera County in 1948. Carol and Peter discuss keys for a successful family transition (allow creativity, talk frequently, listen, and learn), how port is made, and the history of the brand’s sales channels. They also discuss the wide world of Ficklin’s wines, from a ’57 Vintage Port made by Peter’s father available for sale at $600 per bottle, to Rose port aged 6 months in stainless steel for $30, and everything in between.
https://www.ficklin.com/
Questions? Comments? smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com
Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/
Music: Nate Collison
Logo Photography: John Corcoran

Ep 36: Congressman Mike Thompson on the Wine Industry and DC

In today’s special episode Carol talks with Congressman Mike Thompson about his advocacy for the wine industry and his constituents in Napa, Lake, Sonoma, Yolo and even Carol’s home – Solano County. Having recently won his 14th election to the U.S. House of Representatives, Thompson remains hard at work. Carol and Rep. Thompson discuss his role as co-founder and current co-Chair of the Congressional Wine Caucus, the importance of the Farm Bill, and potential issues for the industry with the incoming 2nd Trump Administration, and how he and his colleagues will move forward.
https://mikethompson.house.gov/
Questions? Comments? smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com
Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/
Music: Nate Collison
Logo Photography: John Corcoran

Ep 35: Banking Update for the Wine Industry with Mark Freund

Carol and returning guest Mark Freund of Silicon Valley Bank discuss the current trends in wine industry lending, including how interest rates and broader wine market challenges are reducing credit availability in the short term.  Listen to this conversation to get an up-to-date understanding of what wine industry lenders are thinking.
https://www.svb.com/
https://www.svb.com/trends-insights/reports/dtc-wine-survey-report-2024/
Questions? Comments? smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com
Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/
Music: Nate Collison
Logo Photography: John Corcoran

Ep. 34: Mark Couchman on Vineyard Investing

In this episode Carol talks to Mark Couchman, the founder of Silverado Premium Properties, the largest institutional investor in California vineyards before its sale to TIAA-CREF.  In this information-packed conversation, Mark and Carol discuss:  the importance of knowledge of the market in general and the asset (whether as a buyer or seller) in question; how to negotiate; offer strategies; building trust as a buyer or seller; how growers should think about decisions to crush grapes for sale as bulk wine; and many other topics.
Questions? Comments? smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com
Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/
Music: Nate Collison
Logo Photography: John Corcoran

Ep 33: How to Sell Wine with Bruce Neyers Part 2

Host Carol Collison and Neyers Vineyards’ Bruce Neyers continue their conversation about the wine sales profession. Bruce describes how he successfully sold wine for 25 years for the California-based French wine importer Kermit Lynch, which had a portfolio of as many as 2,500 SKUs (Stock Keeping Unit) of arcane French wines from lesser-known regions. “You don’t sell anything unless you know it.”  Bruce succeeded by educating himself, and then educating his distributors to enable them to make the sale out in the marketplace. Bruce describes how a conversation with the Napa wine pioneer Joe Heitz inspired him and his wife Barbara to launch their own wine brand, Neyers Vineyards, which he continues to own through a partnership with Trinchero Family Estates.
https://kermitlynch.com/
https://www.neyersvineyards.com/
Questions? Comments? smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com
Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/
Music: Nate Collison
Logo Photography: John Corcoran

Ep 32: How to Sell Wine with Bruce Neyers Part 1

Bruce Neyers started selling wine for Joseph Phelps winery in the ‘70’s, before selling wine was even a thing. Imagine wine sales before anyone knew you could provide samples??  Carol and Bruce talk about his start in the wine business, about the importance of the wine sales profession, and how selling has evolved in a series of conversations. In this first episode, Bruce describes his start in the wine business during the early days of the industry in the Napa Valley. 
https://www.neyersvineyards.com/
Questions? Comments? smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com
Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/
Music: Nate Collison
Logo Photography: John Corcoran

Ep 31: Wine Sales Excellence with Merritt Olson

Merritt Olson, a Pacific Northwest wine sales veteran, (at the ripe old age of not very old) has seen it all. She began her sales career by selling wine in tasting rooms and bars in the Walla Walla area while in college. She then moved to sales management for a wide range of Pacific Northwest wineries such as Charles Smith and Owen Roe, finally finishing as the Director of Sales at Mitchell Wine Group, Oregon’s leading independent wholesaler of fine wines, before leaving to work in her family business. Meritt explains her strategies for selling wine both as a winery and as a distributor and shares some great books on management that have helped her in her career.
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/traction-gino-wickman/1100073595
https://www.amazon.com/SPEED-TRUST-Thing-Changes-Everything/dp/1416549005
Questions? Comments? smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com
Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/
Music: Nate Collison
Logo Photography: John Corcoran

Ep 30: A Passion for Winery Compliance? An Interview with Ann Reynolds

Ann Reynolds started her compliance consulting company Wine Compliance Alliance 15 years ago. She and Carol talk about the entrepreneurial mindset, how to launch a consulting firm, and of course, compliance! One of the things that make the wine business so difficult is the complex regulatory environment for beverage alcohol production and sales. Ann and Carol discuss a few sample topics in winery compliance that new entrants to the business should be aware of. Ann also talks about her book on wine labelling “The Inside Story of a Wine Label” (link below).
https://www.amazon.com/Inside-Story-Wine-Label/dp/1481859846
Questions? Comments? smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com
Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/
Music: Nate Collison
Logo Photography: John Corcoran

Vic Motto Revisited

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of artist, musician, wine business advisor and co-founder of Global Wine Partners, Vic Motto, at his home in Florida on September 1, 2024. In honor of Vic, we would like to revisit our first episode. 
Questions? Comments? smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com
Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/
Music: Nate Collison
Logo Photography: John Corcoran

Ep 29: The Market for Vineyards and Wineries in ‘24/’25 with Tony Correia and Carol Collison

Vineyard appraiser Tony Correia and M&A Advisor Carol Collison engage in a wide-ranging discussion on the economics of today’s wine industry:  Who’s buying vineyards in California today and why, how the bankruptcy of Vintage Wine Estates is affecting the market for winery facilities and brands, and what today’s market implies for transaction volumes in 2025.
http://correiaco.com/index.html
Questions? Comments? smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com
Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/
Music: Nate Collison
Logo Photography: John Corcoran