Community Supported Winery - Glasshaus Wine Company

A couple months ago I read about Glasshaus Wine Company and did a short blog post (which you can find if you click here) That post only scratched the surface.  I really liked the idea of a community supported winery (CSW) that is just like your local CSA that I asked Rodney to join me on my podcast.

 

Rodney developed Glasshaus CSW based on the agricultural model CSA (community supported agriculture). He thought "Why can't my customers become my investors."  Where investors/members pledge support early prior to getting the product and take on some of the risk.   Randy wants to make the best wine possible and make his customers happy.  Members benefit with guaranteed production and 20% discount.  Rodney makes sure he only pre-sells enough shares to cover his production.  This year there was only 250 shares available but he produced 500 cases. A CSW is not like a wine club.  Wine clubs you get billed each time and a wine package shows up via UPS or FED EX.  With the CSW, every year you have to enroll.  Prior members who don't enroll, can still purchase, but they will be purchasing at retail and they will still have voting rights. As a member Rodney will keep you informed throughout the growing season on conditions and what is going on in the vineyard.  April through October all members receive updates.  The first of the month is weather update from the previous month.  Middle of the month he gives out a community update.  This gives members an insider view and makes the members feel like they are part of the company.

First vintage for Glasshaus is 2013 and it was a great growing season! The Chardonnay is very refined this year and he's doing a lot of stirring of the lees, which is giving it a nice rounded mouth feel on top of using 20% oak.  The Pinot Noir is showing complexity early.  With 30% aging in new oak the rest aging in 1 use and neutral oak.   The Chardonnay should be bottled in August just before he 2014 harvest.  The Pinot Noir just a little bit after harvest.  It really all depends on when the Pinot is ready to be bottled.   After bottling the wine will  be shipped to members with important instructions on when to drink the wine.

Future for growth, Rodney is going to take it to his members.  Ask his members what they want to see before he goes and adds more wine to his portfolio. For more information on Glasshause Wine Company visit http://glasshauswines.com/  Shares are still available for the 2013 vintage until January 31.  To purchase the shares visit http://glasshauswines.com/shop/2013-glasshaus-csw-wine-share

Listen to Rodney talk about his community supported wine company and the mission behind it.

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GlassHouse Winery - A Community Supported Winery (CSW)

Boy, the three letter CSW certainly has many meanings.  If your a social worker it means "Certified Social Worker" and if you are in the wine business it means "Certified Specialist of Wine" and it now has a new meaning "Community Supported Winery."

The Community Supported Winery idea is the brain child of Rodney Gagnon.  Why not, for all those who belong to a CSA it's a fantastic membership.  You purchase a share in the farm and get rewarded with what is produced that year. You hope for good weather and a bountiful crop.  Why not take that model and use it in the wine industry.  That is exactly what Rodney has done.

Rodney is a New England native (WhooHoo for an East Coaster!) who now resides in Petaluma. He is the owner and founder of GlassHaus Winery a CSW.  Being intrigued by the idea I interviewed Rodney about his venture.  I wish him the best of luck!

     How did you come up with the idea of a CSW and what inspired you?

I wanted to build a truly different kind of wine company, based on insane transparency, strong community and real purpose. I am inspired by my CSA Membership (Tara Firma Farms), crowd-funding trends (Kickstarter, Naked Wines) and conscious capitalism (for lack of a better descriptor -- ex. B-Corps, OneHope Wines)

Tara Firma Farms + NakedWines + OneHope Wines = Glasshaus Wines, Community Supported Winery

     As with a CSA, members take the risk, risk being weather.  How will make your members understand the risks of a variable vintage?

I include that as one of the reasons for the 20% pre-harvest member discount. I also keep all members informed with weekly vineyard briefs (photos, short descriptions of conditions/vineyard actions) and monthly winegrowing analysis (complete weather analyses comparing historical averages and recent vintages). I try my very best to keep everyone informed throughout the entire process so that expectations are always set accordingly.

This is also one of the reasons that I don't sell all of the wine as member shares. I only sell enough to cover yearly vintage costs and reserve the remaining wine for sale at retail. This way, I'm "guaranteed" to have enough wine to cover all member shares in years of poor fruits sent or/and low yields due to difficult ripening conditions.

Great question! 

What is your vision for the future of the CSW?

My "big idea", if you would, is that CSWs (including transparency/community +/-purpose) are the new wine clubs.

     Will you only produce Chardonnay and Pinot Noir?

I'll expand to other varieties grown in the Petaluma Gap (Syrah, Pinot Gris) and offer it as the Sonoma Coast Share. I also envision offering other AVA specific shares. I'll most likely follow on with a Dry Creek Share (Zin, SB, etc). I'm also toying with an idea to create a "member swap" meet / barter system to add some flexibility for those members who prefer certain varietals over others since it is not feasible for Glasshaus to offer an a la carte menu.

     When do you expect to bottle your first vintage?

Our first vintage is 2013 and it will be bottled in the summer of 2014 with an expect fall delivery date.

     When you purchase a share, it’s only good for that year correct (2013 would be good for when you release the 2013 vintage – regardless when that release is)?

Yes. All shares are vintage shares. But, there's always a but, if for some reason we cannot deliver the share, members can opt for a full refund or rollover to the next vintage for the same or lower cost (depending on the vintage share price which is set every March)

     At what point in time will the cutoff be for membership for the 2013 vintage? Or any vintage?

There will only be a certain amount of shares offered every vintage (350 in 2013). There is no share cutoff but 20% discounted shares are offered only up until harvest. Discounts drop progressively after harvest up until bottling (15%, 10%, 5% timeframes TBD).

     How many cases do you intend to produce each year?

We are only starting with 500 cases in 2013. We will increase to 5,000 cases in a timeframe that is in accordance with member demand. We have capacity to reach 10,000 cases. I don't envision producing more than 10,000 cases.

     Does your membership in the CSW renew each year automatically?

No, but you very adeptly recognize the "subscription" vs "club" nature of the CSW program. We have a member only sales period each vintage (4/15-5/15) to allow past members to re-up but nothing is automatic. Maybe someday but for now, I'd rather under promise and over deliver so that people always want to opt-in because of personal interest (great wine, less money) and higher purpose (giving back).

     Anything else you think I should know?

Maybe one last thing. Members accrue greater discounts the longer they are in the program. 2% for every qualified purchase year. 

For more information about purchasing a share in Glasshouse visit http://bit.ly/17GLX7P