Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/347498
50 W i n e s & V i n e s A U G U s T 2 0 1 4 moved the company to California. When the Hunts sold their grapes they got $80 per ton, not the $400 per ton they had been anticipating. "We sold juice to home winemakers," Hunt recalled, "but you can't sell them hundreds of tons of grapes. One fellow said we should make a few barrels of wine, then sell a few cases. Our first vin- tage was 1981, and in 1982 we bottled seven white wines and one red wine (a De Chaunac), and all won awards. We turned the shed into a tasting room by adding a deck and started the winery." As more people visited the winery, the Hunts expanded their tasting room four more times. The last addition, in 2001, included a full basement, restrooms, and tripled the size of the tasting room. Part of that addition is now known as the Locavore Room. "We try to source prod- ucts for the tasting room from nearby," Hunt said. "Thirty years ago everything came from the West Coast or farther, and shipping was 50% of the cost of each item." Today Tessa Olson, Hunt Country's retail shop buyer, has access to many more craftspeople who are local or regional, and the average distance to the source of supplies has been reduced to 162 miles on average. Many of the prod- ucts are made from recycled or reused items, such as empty wine bottles or old barrel staves. Sales items in the retail area are dis- played on cabinets/tables with wheels. Tasting Room Focus Analysis, Best Practices & Trends: A newsletter for managers of tasting rooms, wine clubs and DTC wine sales. A monthly email newsletter with the latest: • Expert advice about tasting rooms, inside sales, wine clubs, leadership, online marketing and data metrics; • Direct-to-consumer (DtC) and wine flash sales analysis; • Featured tasting room suppliers. July features • Leveraging Wine Club Benefits Into More Sales • Tips for Traveling in France July advertisers • The Barrel Rack • Wine Tasting Trends Survey Services • VintageView Wine Storage • CapaBunga ® SIgN up ToDAY! Email trf@winesandvines.com or visit winesandvines.com/TRF Styrofoam blocks are filled with concrete to provide structural walls. Hunt advocates insulating everything from doors to chiller pipes (above). G R A P E G R O W I N G W I N E M A K I N G TECHNICAL REVIEW