UNDERGROUND Wine Marketing
March 2008
Wine Concierge services
1)Insider Access to
highly-sought-after
‘Big Name’ wines
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Wine Concierge services
Insider scoop on the
finest undiscovered
(a.k.a. Underground)
wines before the critics
and collectors drive prices
up and allocations down!
2)
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Wine Concierge services
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Featured Wines
Kistler
$100
Textbook
$50
Ladera
$39
Colgin
$429
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Thir$ty Collector Clients include…
• Personal finance manager of #1 richest man in world
• Co-founder of the #1 website
• Heir to the original car manufacturer
• Proprietor of #1 rated Napa ‘Cult’ Cabernet
• Editor of Wine Spectator magazine
• MANY renowned doctors and financial investors
• Plus a random list of personalities including Robert
Redford, Peirce Brossnan, Ben Kingsley, Renee Russo,
Danica Patrick, Sean Hannity, and Alice Waters
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Agenda
1. Porthos Story: ‘On a Mission’
2. Marketing Insights:
‘Reaching the Rich’
3. An ‘Underground’ Perspective:
• Secret marketing tips
• Personal favorite TOP 5 Wines
• TOP 5 Restaurant Wine Tips
+ Wine Trivia Contest. Prize = Tasting!
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TOPLINE – Success?
1. Our Mission: Personal Relationships!
2. Personalized to each client (vs. me pontificating!)
3. “Kevin Bacons” (Underground offline)
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Porthos Story
•Thinking in
Flavors
•Noble roots!?!
•Y2K Goal: Drink
the finest wine
and make $$$!
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Porthos Story
WINE INSIDER Newsletters
Boot Strap’ Business Launch: Friends and Family (in Tx.)
‘
----------------------------------------------------------------Dear Friend of Porthos,
Silver Oak will release the historical millennium vintage of their premier Napa Estate
Cabernet on January 29. We have negotiated an exclusive opportunity for you to purchase
up to one case of this highly sought after wine on a pre-release basis NOW! Order today and
we will ship your wine next week BEFORE it is released at Silver Oak's Napa winery.
Silver Oak Napa is the #1 Collector wine in America and, the 2000 Napa Valley Cabernet
Sauvignon is Silver Oak’s first “Bordeaux-style” blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11%
Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot (Tasting Notes below). DON'T MISS this
rare opportunity to add 12 bottles of this prized wine to your collection and take
advantage of FREE SHIPPING on all full case orders of Silver Oak while our limited allocation
lasts. We WILL sell out so please place your order immediately to guarantee availability.
• Silver Oak 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley - ($99)
• Winemaker Daniel Baron: “An exceptionally long growing season helped make our 2000
vintage one of the most complex and memorable wines we have produced. Extra time on the
vine proved extremely beneficial for the wine, which was aged in 100% new American oak
barrels for approximately 25 months. Classic Cabernet Sauvignon with a dark, ruby-red color
and an exquisite nose of cassis, violets, roasting coffee, chocolate, vanilla and cloves. It has a
rich, balanced mouth feel dripping with ripe berries and chocolate. Medium tannins are well
integrated into the long finish. It will continue to improve to 2020 given proper cellaring.”
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Porthos History
MISSION: Long Term Relationships!
“….Wine that gladdens the heart of Man.” - Psalm 104
• Team Philosophy / Culture
• Team hiring criteria – Napa Experts
• Client implication$ = “No Sour Grapes”
• Be Careful what you ‘promise’!
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Porthos History
Long Term Relationships vs. Short Term Profit$
BENEFITS:
• Team loyalty
• Client Friendships = letters, photos, villas, birthdays
• Word of Mouth
• ‘Secret Shopper’ = New Partnership$!
• Winery Partnerships = loyalty + allocations
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2. Marketing Insights
‘Reaching the Rich!’ – Niche
Marketing
CLIENT ACQUISITION:
1) Word of Mouth + rewards & gifts
2) Partnerships
3) Keyword Advertising
4) Leveraging P.R.
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Marketing Insights – P.R.
An intoxicating investment
By Sandra Block, USA TODAY July, 22, 2004
….”Not
long ago, Hal Oates, co-founder of
online wine retailer Porthos.com,
recommended that some regular clients try
Paloma Merlot, a little-known wine made by
a husband-and-wife team in California's
Napa Valley. It was selling for $45. Two
months later, Wine Spectator gave the
Merlot its "Wine of the Year" award. These
days, the wine is selling for $145 and up,
Oates says.”
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Marketing Insights
“Lifestyles of the
Rich & Famous”
• Unfamiliar World =
intimidating (think ‘rich’!)
• Irrational $pending!
• ‘Hot Wheels’ for Adults!
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Marketing Insights
“KISSING FROGS”
Wasting time but not too much
$$$
• “Really good exposure for
you”….vs. actual SALES
• Busy vs. Profitable!?!
• Celebrity Wine Tasting
scorecards = Fun but no Sales
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Marketing Insights
Celebrity Wine Tasting = Fun but no Sales
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Marketing Insights
“All Things to All People?”
…or brand ‘ubiquity’ vs. reality!
• International vs. Napa
• Under $30 bottles vs. Over
$100
- All that to say…………………
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Marketing Insights
Must OWN One Area of Expertise!!!
– what’s yours?
• Core Target group / niche
• Aspirational marketing – positioning: appeals to all!
• 21 year old Models…….
“Napa’s Best $39 Cabernet!”
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Marketing Insights
THE WINE INSIDERS
= a positioning that is…
1)Important to our target
2)We can deliver on this promise!
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Marketing Insights
“I’ve Got what YOU Want!”
• Leverage resources that
Target Values most!
• Our “resources:”
- Experienced/skilled team
- Taste 5,000 wines
- Honest Opinions
- Time and ‘Insider’ connections
- Hard work (10 a.m., 200 in 3
hours)
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Marketing Insights
PATIENCE PAYS OFF
“Rich” in experiences/ wine
THE WINE INSIDERS – Podcasting
• No You Tube miracle (yet!)
• Credibility
• Vendor relations – allocations &
egos!
• $ales? …..’not so much’ (yet)!
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Marketing Insights
MY LESSONS LEARNED as an Entrepreneur
1) Do what you LOVE in case no $$$
2) BEWARE if changing industry!
- 2 x time & money investment needed
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Collector Wines : An ‘Underground’ Perspective
2. Insider scoop!
Personal Top 5
Undiscovered Napa Wines
• Alban Viognier
• Palmaz Cabernet
• Ladera Cabernet
• The Prisoner Zinfandel
• Hestan Cabernet
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Collector Wines : An ‘Underground’ Perspective
2. My Wine Insider
scoop!
TOP 5 Restaurant Wines (wine list)
* Rombauer Chardonnay
• Swanson Merlot
• Duckhorn Merlot
• Caymus Cabernet
• Far Niente Chardonnay or
Cabernet
‘undervalued’ = Zinfandel, Syrah,
Aussie Shiraz
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Collector Wines : An ‘Underground’ Perspective
2. My Wine Insider scoop!
TOP 5 Restaurant Wines to AVOID
[no names]
• 2000 Vintage Napa Cabernet
• 2005 Vintage Pinot Noir from California
• ‘overpriced’ = Chardonnay and Cabernet
• ‘Beware’ = cheap Pinot Noir (wimpy)
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