Made in Massachusetts: How Marco Montez Put Travessia Urban Winery on the Map

When I first started using Twitter a few years ago, primarily as a means for connecting with people interested in wine and from there hopefully this blog, one of the first people I followed was @TRAVESSIA.  They're a small urban winery in New Bedford, Massachusetts producing wines from grapes grown in Massachusetts.  Sure- why not follow them?

Over the past few years I've gotten to know Travessia's owner and winemaker Marco Montez better, and it's been great to watch his winery grow and gain notoriety.  We had a chance to visit Travessia's unique winery this past weekend and it was great to round out my familiarity with the brand.

Like Any Other Small Business

I find small businesses fascinating.  It seems like almost everyone I know has a side-interest or hobby they'd like to derive income from at some point, but it's often hard to take the leap of faith required to get that small business off the ground especially in uncertain economic times.

Regardless of the topic you're interested in, a common set of core marketing strategies need to be tended to.  A website, a blog, establishing a social media presence- all of it takes time.  But those who do it effectively are able to establish a connection with their customers that transcends a commoditized transaction and positions the business for success.

One of the first small companies I worked for had about 100 employees.  I remember a new Marketing Communications person being hired on and their job description was "to make the company look bigger than it was".  If this was Travessia's aim when they launched their first wines a couple years ago- I'd say they were successful.  If you look at their website you'll see a professional looking, easy to navigate site with just the information you're looking for.  To my eye, the site looks better than some businesses many times larger.

Travessia has taken advantage of being small and nimble by establishing an authentic presence on free important social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.  They maintain a blog and I was particularly impressed with the FourSquare special we were greeted with upon arriving:

Summing it all up, the key thing I think Travessia has done well is to establish an honest human connection with would-be customers and partners that aligns with their brand.  Well done- definitely one to watch and learn if you're interested in promoting your small business effectively.

In Real Life

I've met Marco and tried his wines before but this was the first chance I had to see him at the winery in New Bedford.  He had the day off but was kind enough to meet us there after I pinged him on Twitter.  Just as we were trying to figure out whether we needed to feed the street meters he pulled up and gave us the Insider's Tip: No need to feed the meters on Saturday even though the meters indicate they're in operation on Saturdays.

The winery is situated on nice medium-density street with parallel parking.  It's about 1,000 square feet in all including the wine-making operation and the tasting room.  The back has the winemaking equipment: Fermentation tanks, barrels, a corker, etc.  We had our kids along so we weren't able to get into as much detail as I would have liked but there was something very cool to seeing a winery of this scale in action.  Here's why...

There's clarity in small scale.  In my day job, I look at integrated circuit designs with millions of devices.  When something goes wrong and I want to test a theory I have about what's causing the problem, I create a tiny design that has only 2 devices in it.  90% of the time I can replicate the problem concisely and then know exactly where to focus.  With wine, production numbers and the winemaking process can be a blur until you see it hands-on and can visualize the steps involved.  I'd love to follow along with a winery from grape to glass to reinforce what I've only read about and seen bits and pieces of.

It was great to see the tasting counter occupied by at least one group the whole time we were visiting.  Edson was pouring the wines the day we visited.  Bottles are available for purchase and they offer a wine club that I finally signed up for after meaning to for months.

We tasted through their Pinot Grigio, Unoaked Chardonnay, Oaked Chardonnay, and Vidal Blanc.  All are made with 100% Massachusetts-grown grapes.

The Pinot Grigio is a relatively new addition to the line-up.  It's bone dry and I'd like it more if it had a little more weight.  The Chardonnays are well-made but I'm not a fan of the variety in general and if there's a grape out there that can be polarizing in terms of taste preferences it's Chardonnay.  A lot of people say they like unoaked Chardonnay lately (and some people indeed do) but I recall a wine dinner at Legal Sea Foods a while back where the well-regarded California Chardonnay producer Sonoma-Cutrer was pouring their wines.  Half of the people loved their oaky Chardonnay and the other half preferred a lighter, crisper style.  Fortunately, Travessia offers both- take your pick.  I prefer the oaked.

Their Vidal Blanc continues to be my favorite of the bunch.  If you like Riesling with just a kiss of sweetness or Gewürztraminer you might enjoy their Vidal Blanc.  Their 2008 was a little drier (less sweet) than the 2007 we enjoyed so much.  Both vintages are great but we took the opportunity to pick up a couple more bottles of the 2007.  Vidal Blanc is a hybrid (a cross between grapes of different species) commonly used in Canadian ice wines.  I think it does well in Massachusetts and I've enjoyed other examples from wineries on the Southeastern New England Coastal Wine Trail.

As we were leaving a dozen bachelorettes arrived in a limo- what a great way to start the night and good business for the winery.

We asked Marco where we could get some clams in a waterfront setting and his suggestion of the Waterfront Grille was spot-on.  You're looking out over fishing boats (as opposed to yachts) and the ambiance is coastal enough that you appreciate being on the water but not clam-shacky as to be grubby.  Funny side note: A group of guys came in while we were there and asked the waitress if they could take off their shirts outside.  I got the distinct impression she gave them the once-over before saying "um- no".

My impression of New Bedford after the visit is that it's a lively coastal city with an eclectic mix of charming cobblestone streets, a waterfront with active fisheries, a launching point for Vineyard ferries, and a cool collection of urban businesses.

When we go back next I'd like to visit the Whaling Musueum and/or the Ocean Explorium.  We had a chance to drive by both and they looked inviting.  Click here for a list of other activities in the area.

Conclusion and Recommendations:

About an hour south of Boston, a visit to Travessia is highly recommended.  Paired with a visit to a nearby restaurant and/or museum it makes for an enjoyable day-trip.  They're producing some delicious wines in a cool urban environment and I look forward to watching them grow.

Know how I'm always complaining about Massachusetts wine shipping laws?  Fear not- you can buy Travessia online and have it shipped to your home or office in Massachusetts.  What a novel idea!

Check 'em out:
Travessia Urban Winery
760 Purchase Street
New Bedford, MA 02740
774-929-6534

As a mater of disclosure I'd like to mention Travessia has run an ad on this site in the past.  It was more than a year ago, but just so you know.  Click here to read my advertising policies.

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New To The WWP? 7 Things You May Have Missed

I try to be cautious about repeating myself.  I never want to be "that guy" who says the same thing over and over again as if we're in a conversation and I've forgotten something I've told you before.  But in the context of blogging it would be unreasonable to expect you've read every word I've written here or on Twitter. (If someone has been with me from the beginning or even over the past year drop me an E-mail and let me know- I'd truly appreciate it.)

I think I've mentioned before that I've found Darren Rowse's Pro Blogger to be helpful in getting my arms around blogging and motivating me to get this site off the ground, but it's been a while since I took one of his suggestions and immediately implemented it.  Until today, which is a style of post that you're reading right now.

Here's a list of 7 things you may have missed on The Wellesley Wine Press:

1. What I consider my first post wasn't even published here on the WWP- it was published on our family blog Casa Dwyer.
   Lesson Learned: Before starting a blog on a specific topic, try writing about it on a general-purpose blog like a family blog or a personal Tumblr blog.
   
2. The post I enjoyed writing the most was probably this piece about Bobby Parkerchuk on Twitter.  Sometimes I've got a half dozen things I feel I need to write about.  The night I sat down and wrote that summary of tweets I had a great time and laughed out loud.
   Lesson Learned: Sometimes it's best to write about what you want to write about- not what you feel you need to write about.
3. A post I thought had a great discussion was this one describing the WWP QPR Calculator.  It's gratifying when someone finds their way to the site after seeking out wine QPR calculators on Google and actually finds one and we get a chance to talk about the subject of quality-price-ratio in wine.
   Lesson Learned: One of the best things about blogging is connecting with folks with the same ridiculously specific interest.
   
4. A post on someone else’s blog that you wish you’d written was probably this piece from Dr. Vino about Robert Parker and ethics because it shined a light on an inconsistency between the Wine Advocate's stated tasting policy and what was evidently going on.
   Lesson Learned: Sometimes the most important posts ruffle feathers.  It might make you unpopular with certain people.  Always be thinking about where you want to go with your writing long-term.
5. One of my most helpful posts was probably this list of Grocery Stores in MA that sell wine.  Every time someone lands on the site after trying like heck to figure out which Trader Joe's in the state sell wine (and why) I feel like I've silently helped out.
   Lesson Learned: Assembling information and presenting it in a single easy-to-find place is a useful service.
6. A post with a title I am proud of? What You're Doing Might Be Illegal. It's a story about how Massachusetts wine consumers might be unknowingly breaking the law by performing everyday acts with wine.  When I've reviewed past blog entries the headline caught my attention and I clicked it myself.  Aside:  Yes we need to fix our laws in this state.
   Lesson Learned: Sometimes you write headlines for search engine optimization, sometimes you write them to entice a click...  This one was for for a click, but one thing that bothers me to no end is the over-hyped headline that doesn't deliver.  This story, I hope, delivers.
7. A post I wish more people had read was this one about a wine shop in another state being squeezed by a larger competitor.  It really opened my eyes to aspects of the wine trade I hadn't considered previously.
   Lesson Learned: Contrary to popular belief, wine shops do go out of business.  Sadly, I received an E-mail from this retailer just recently saying he was closing his shop.

As always- thank you for reading.  If you enjoy reading this site the nicest thing you could do for me is encourage someone else to check it out and subscribe.

Photo Credit: pshegubj

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Massachusetts Voters to Decide Whether to Repeal Alcohol Tax

Photo by philip

I read today on the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Licensing Blog that those in favor of repealing the Massachusetts sales tax on alcohol were successful in getting their initiative on this November's ballot.  This is potentially good news for those who buy wine in the state, but get ready for the political maneuvering to begin.

It was just over a year ago that Governor Patrick signed into law the increase from 0% at the point of sale to 6.25%. Already subject to excise taxes, alcohol is now double-taxed much to the delight of state revenue collectors and much to the chagrin of wine enthusiasts and wine retailers (especially those near New Hampshire where there is no tax on wine at the point of sale).

I'm in favor of repealing the tax on alcohol at the point of sale.  Here's why:

Once in place, sin taxes have a way of escalating irrationally any time more tax revenue is needed.  The right thing to do is determine what an appropriate tax level is for alcohol and stick to it.  Has the appropriate taxation level for alcohol changed suddenly?  Or has the state's need for tax revenue changed suddenly due to the economy?  I would argue it's the latter.

If the logic is that funds are needed for state-sponsored rehab programs then increase the excise tax.  Why?  Because if you want to discourage excessive alcohol consumption you do it by taxing alcohol based on the volume (as the excise tax does) not by dollar value (as the sales tax does).  Anything else is just an arbitrary unbalanced way to squeeze more tax revenue out of Massachusetts residents who purchase alcohol.

Question of the Day: What do you think of the alcohol tax?

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Recommended Viewing: Jon Rimmerman from Garagiste at Small and Special

Garagiste is a Seattle-based retailer with a unique business model.  Proprietor Jon Rimmerman travels the world finding unique wines and then offers them for purchase through beautifully worded stories in daily E-mails.  I've been receiving his E-mails since February of this year and one in particular this past week really impressed me.  The guy is a fantastic writer.

The video embedded below is from last year's Small and Special conference, but I just made time to watch it today.  Here are some points that jumped out at me:

• He started the business with just $500 after building up relationships in the organic food trade.
• They do somewhere south of $30 million in annual sales and they don't have an e-commerce system.  You just reply to their E-mail offers and tell them how many bottles you want.  The famous Niki responds and, assuming they have your credit card on file, your order is processed.
• They've got almost 100,000 people on their E-mail list, many of whom subscribe just for the writing.
• He recognized that consumers like connecting directly with people and immediacy long before Twitter existed.  They're on Twitter now (@Garagiste_Wine) but their business still hinges primarily around connecting personally from proprietor to consumer through Jon's E-mails.

Unfortunately, they can't ship to Massachusetts.

At minimum, your call to action today is to sign up for their E-mail list.  And when you can set aside some time, watch the video.  I think you'll enjoy getting to know Jon a little better and you'll benefit from the ideas he shares whether you're a wine lover, a small business owner, a blogger, or all three.

Thanks to @joshiemac for the referral in the comments section of this piece from last year on the top wine deals of 2010.  Like he says- the action is in the E-mails not on their website.

If you like the Garagiste model where you respond to email offers and build towards a case over time check out this New York retailer. Totally different style, but similarly outstanding deals.


Jon Rimmerman - Garagiste - Small and Special 2009 from Small and Special on Vimeo.

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