In this episode, George interviews Michael De Loach, owner of Michael De Loach Brands. Michael shares stories of growing up on his family’s vineyard, where they began crafting their own wines, marking the start of De Loach Vineyards. He recalls the success of their 1979 white zinfandel, which became so popular they could barely keep up with demand. Michael also discusses how he launched his current company eight years ago, starting by helping a friend sell wine to a national distributor. He emphasizes that a strong, tailored approach is key when working with distributors. The wine industry is currently facing challenging times—hear Michael’s perspective on how the industry reached this point and how long these difficulties might last.  Catch Michael speaking at the annual North Coast Wine Industry Expo (WIN Expo) on December 5th in Santa Rosa, CA. He’ll be presenting on Distributor Relations: Controlling Your Brand’s Destiny for 2025. Use promo co

Mitroff Consulting & Associates is pleased to announce the completion of the search for the CEO for our Client, Somerston Estate. Judd Wallenbrock accepted the position from an outstanding pool of candidates. Judd has a strong background in senior level executive roles for: Robert Mondavi, De Loach Vineyards, Michel-Schlumberger, Jessup Cellars, C. Mondavi & Family, and other well-known wineries. It was a pleasure working with Somerston and Judd on such an exciting opportunity. Judd’s leadership abilities make him well positioned to continue the success of the Somerston Estate and Priest Ranch wines.

Afternoon Brief, December 21st

Scientist Presents Grape Smoke Exposure Research: Study was discussed during an American Society for Viticulture and Enology gathering in Japan...

Industry Experts Share Their 3-Tier Insights The 2nd Annual 3-Tier Wine Symposium will leverage channel experts from all facets of the three-tier system who will present a full day of information designed to help winery owners, executives, and sales & marketing professionals learn more about the complicated, but necessary, world of distributor and buyer relations. Attendees will leave with the tools and techniques needed to grow their brand and maximize profitability. Building upon the foundation of last year's event, this year’s conference will include two panels featuring successful wine buyers and their perspective insights into buying behavior changes and purchasing trends in general. The program will also include a category overview, the impact of technology, small producer success stories and more. 2020 Featured Speakers:   Katie Calhoun President / Calhoun & Company Communications Michael De Loach Owner & President / MD Wine Industry Consulting