Tariffs, Winery Closures, And A Happy (ier) Hour Invitation
It’s been another ROUGH week . 20% tariffs on wine imported to the US is better than 200%, but we are a long way from any relief with more updates expected on April 9.
We just can’t catch a break.
We also started this week with the news via Instagram that Santa Barbara's Summerland winery was closing - delivering another gut punch to our wine community.
Winery closures are sadly not new, but what made the Summerland closure that much more surprising was that, to an outsider, this was a winery that had done everything "right". A vibrant tasting room in downtown Santa Barbara, a robust hospitality business, a diverse portfolio of wines at affordable prices, and stable club membership numbers.
Moreover, thanks to the foresight of GM Josh Garver, they were on the precipice of launching their second range of non-alcoholic wines - single varietal, single vineyard Santa Barbara wines from premium vineyards.
So what went wrong?
Quite simply, the money ran out.
Per their Instagram post on Monday morning, the investor will no longer fund the project.
ABG has a personal connection with Summerland Winery, and its GM, Josh Garver. Cathy met then tasting room director, now General Manager, Josh Garver in 2022 and profiled him on ABG in 2023. Josh is a sober wine professional who proudly ran the Summerland property with a keen eye on hospitality, inclusion and advocacy for all types of wine drinkers - traditional and alcohol free.
At the DTC Symposium held in January I spoke alongside Josh at our “Luxury non-alcohol” session, as he previewed their new “Wellness Collective” - a collaborative wine club tailored to the early supporters of their non-alcohol wine range.
Sadly that project will not come to fruition.
Summerland’s IG post on Monday also showed Josh holding up two picture frames and smiling through sadness:
One sign read "You have 30 Days"
The other, read "For us to take care of you."
We all need taking care of. Especially in this crucial time of uncertainty.
So in the spirit of taking care of each other, next Thursday April 10 we are hosting a 45 minute online community group for YOU our dear ABG subscribers:
Thursday 10 April | 4PM PST | 7pm EST | 10am Fri AEST
Online via Zoom
REGISTER HERE
I'm coining it “The ABG Happy (ier) Hour”.
It's an open forum, to connect, take a breath, be in community, see some friendly faces, and share stories as needed. The only hope is that you leave happier than when you joined.
Cathy and Laura Louise Green of Healthy Pour will be there to help manage the session (because, multitasking…) so we hope you will join us for some down time.
Ask and Give: If you’re inclined, come to the session with an ASK (something you need from the community) or a GIVE (something you can give to the community). Or both!
It doesn’t need to be grand and can be as simple as offering a coffee connection, or an opportunity to someone in the field. Do what you can to keep the wine community at large, strong.
See you next Thursday. Again, you can register HERE
I've had many conversations this week with other wine professionals not knowing how to help those who are facing winery closures, job losses, or the very real potential uncertainty of the global wine business.
See you next Thursday, I hope!
Beck
PS: If you're in the Southern California area, please hire Josh. He's a super star talent, and lion-hearted wine professional. He loves the wine business and plays a mean ukelele.
