Breaking down the cost of sparkling wine w/ Weston Eidson, Westborn

Making wine is capital-intensive. Making traditional method sparkling wine is even more so. From less juice from the grapes to double fermentation to more expensive bottles and taxes, Weston Eidson of recently launched Westborn Wine describes the differences in sparkling production.  

Detailed Show Notes: 

Weston’s background: >10 years winemaking in Napa (Silver Ghost), family are wine collectors, interned w/ Jason Moore at Modus Operandi (2012), and acquired extra Chardonnay from Steve Matthiasson

Westborn was founded in 2018, taking “Grand Cru” or single vineyard level fruit for sparkling wine (e.g., Heintz, Ritchie, Durell vineyards)

Partnered w/ Russell Bevan (mentor) and Nathan Reeves (made sparkling in Margaret River)

The goal is to start with high-quality wines and layer on complexity with traditional method aging

Took 4-5 years to find a stride & hone the winemaking process

Initially thought it would be 3 years aging vs 6 for 1st release (2019 1st release; 2018 1st vintage just disgorged mid 2025)

SKUs: vintage, Blanc de Blanc, Rose, Non-vintage

Luxury priced - $100+

Solera method perpetual reserve program, late disgorged release, lead to a lot of capital in inventory

2018: 500 cases; 2025 ~1,000 cases; target ~2,000 cases

Sparkling production costs vs. still wine

• Fruit costs the same (growers love it: less shrivel, gets fruit off earlier - less pest/disease pressure; spreads out the work)
• Press cuts important, ~25% less gallons/ton vs still wine, as they don’t take taille
• Need to make the wine twice: initial fermentation (vin clair), secondary fermentation (bottled with yeast and sugar)
• Custom crush costs are slightly more expensive due to double fermentation
• Bottles are more costly and need to be bought earlier (~$0.15-20 for a standard bottle; ~$1 for sparkling)
• Taxes higher: $2.40/gallon for sparkling wine, $0.07/gallon for still wine <16% abv
• Storage and financing costs are higher

Financing is combined with other brands, which may make it hard to start a sparkling brand as a stand-alone entity

Look at the business plan over 20 20-year time horizon, projecting cash flow positive in 2027 (9 years from founding)

Trends underpinning Westborn strategy: following Michael Cruse w/ grower CA sparkling wine, premiumization, sparkling doing relatively well, sparkling being used beyond celebrations

Take inspiration from Bereche, De Souza (lees stirring in bottle to amp up umami), and Selosse

People looking for experiences have a tasting at The Art Collective Napa Valley

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