And why that was a choice.
One could ask the question, “If your wines have received so many awards, accolades and high scores why don’t I know about you?”
Double Gold. Best in Class. 98 points. Winery to watch. Best International rosé. 99 points. Year’s Best. So many fabulous scores.
It’s a fair question.
Let’s explore because I really, really wish you did know about Folded Hills.
Many people think that good wines will just naturally become famous. They don’t. Distribution drives visibility. National recognition demands hours on the road and in the air, knocking on door after door, begging appointments with F&B managers and restaurant somms, plum placements for BTG and steep discounts on bottles. There are two reasons to sell wine wholesale. One is marketing, and the other is to reduce inventory. Marketing we do in house and inventory we typically sell out of.
Our choice was to remain small…
Andy and I got into the wine business later in life; by the time we had our wine legs under us we felt too old to hit the road and schlep wine to restaurants and distributors around the country. I love to hear the stories of our peers back in the day, road warriors who hit the pavement in pick-up trucks loaded with their wines and stopped in every wine shop and high-end restaurant along the way. That is a young man’s game. Also, full transparency, I would have to sell a LOT of wholesale wine to justify staying in the types of hotels I like vs the Hampton Inns required to create any margin.
We chose to remain a small production winery and sell our wines directly to the consumer. Who knows if that was the right decision or not. Right now, with the business in crisis, a glut of wines in cellars and grapes rotting on vines, it looks like it was a good decision. Would I love to have Folded Hills wine on the list at any of fellow St. Louisan Danny Meyer’s Union Square Cafe Group restaurants? Hell yes! But we went a different route. We had gotten good advice from a friend who said, “Make less wine and sell through. Don’t be tempted to increase production just because people and critics love your wines. Sell out and be happy if you do.” Noted.
Folded Hills is a small production, organic and biodynamic estate Rhône house. We are the first winery as you drive north into the Central Coast wine country. Santa Ynez Valley is a world-class growing region with four or five distinct AVA’s, a staggering array of varietals, and wonderful wineries ranging from tiny production to true behemoths.
Some of those wines are on the best lists in the world. I get a thrill when I am traveling and see a wine from one of our AVA’s. I always buy one wine from SYV to support our region and one from the region where I am visiting. Because of our choice to sell direct to consumer it is unlikely you will find a Folded Hills wine on any list outside of Santa Barbara County and only a few within our county.
This was both a choice and a necessity. Right now, the circumstances of our lives don’t allow the time needed to work with distribution channels to place our wines in many restaurants or shops.
When that vintage is gone, it’s gone.
Scale creates recognition but our choice was to remain small, to spend more time farming, making wine and hosting guests rather than marketing at a national scale. We chose to make small batches of the highest quality wine we could possibly make -something that I really didn’t think we could do at scale. We decided to make the absolute best wine we could even if that meant we sold out of our most popular bottles. Sorry, fans of Lilly, August white, Cluster, Grace, Polo, GSM, and all the bubbles. People frequently ask us, “Why don’t you just make more?” We could. But we don’t. We chose to use primarily estate grapes and there is a finite amount of those beautiful berries on our fifteen acres. It does hurt a little when we sell out of our rosé in July or August with months of warm weather to go. That is what makes it so special. When that vintage is gone it’s gone. Excitement builds for what the next growing season will produce.
So, yes, we gave up recognition, we gave up seeing Folded Hills on some pretty fabulous lists. We put our investment of time into hospitality, creating the most memorable experiences for our guests who find us in the most random ways. Driving by on the 101, biking to hike the waterfall a mile away, coming to feed the baby animals at the Farmstead, the lure of live music, checking out the winery their friends are talking about or that piqued their interest on Instagram. I do wish we had a more visible profile, especially since we make wine for a cause that is very close to my heart, and a portion of every bottle goes to help people in need. The more wine we sell the more people we can help.
So how do you try Folded Hills wines? We would love for you to visit us at the Estate Homestead and Farmstead. I promise it is worth the visit. You can enjoy a simple tasting then walk to see the animals or you could book a tour to see the estate, the vines, the camel, zebra, new baby Clydesdale and taste by the lake. Easy enough if you happen to be in Santa Barbara or near the California coast. You could also order online. If the way we make wine resonates with you, you might decide to take a chance and buy a bottle or two from our website. This is where the scores do count. Don’t take our word for it, people who actually know what they are doing love our wines.
When we met with winemaker Angela Osborne in 2015, she told us, “If you want a winemaker to chase points, I’m not your person.” It was easy to say we weren’t after scores because, at the time, we were so green we didn’t even know what that meant. We still aren’t chasing scores. We’ve never measured success by how many locations we’re in or points we receive. (Don’t get me wrong- we are tickled rosé pink when we get 99 points, and we’re incredibly grateful when a guest experience is reflected in our five-star Google and Tock reviews.)
We measure success by the guests who return, bring friends, and become part of our story. We measure success by the “eyes light up” moments we see as our guests listen to our stories or sip our wines. Success is in how the land rejuvenates after harvest. Success is devices set aside for a few hours in favor of soaking up the nature wafting around us. Success is the joy of working with the wonderful folks on our team. Success is the excitement in the cellar when a new blend knocks my socks off.
So, no - we’re not on the Gramercy Tavern wine list…yet. But if this story has piqued your curiosity, we hope Folded Hills finds its way onto your list. The next time you’re planning a trip to wine country or choosing a bottle to share with friends, we hope you will choose Folded Hills. Please let me know how you liked it. That is success.
Cheers!
Kim
