In This Together – How Fine Wine is re-thinking its collective models

Tuesday 8th December – 4pm-6pm GMT – Online

Collective models have defined wine production for decades. In every winemaking country, producers have come together in local, regional and/or national enterprises to shape a common vision for quality, process and promotion. Individuals joined collective systems to achieve common economic goals.

In recent years, many of those people involved in Fine Wine have moved away from the idea of collective action, to embrace the idea of a ‘community’ based on shared values. Not only has this created a new language, but also new structures – people no longer need to be part of the same geographical community to share common interests.

The pandemic has already overturned many assumptions – what does it mean for the Fine Wine community? How does it maintain a community, when people can no longer get together?

Some of the questions we will discuss:

  • What aspects of the appellation systems are still relevant?
  • When provenance is not enough, how can we promote quality in a competitive market?
  • What will a borderless Fine Wine community look like, if it’s not based on geography?
  • Can a community guarantee inclusivity?
  • What will a collective promotion or distribution system mean for individual identities?
  • What’s the best way to harness Fine Wine’s collective intelligence?
  • What does all of this mean for a Fine Wine distributor, sommelier or consumer?

Format: Online Panel discussion followed by Q&A – Via Zoom 

We are pleased to welcome the below panellists:

Marc Almert, Chef Sommelier Baur au Lac & Baur au Lac Vins, ASI Best Sommelier of the World 2019

German-born Marc Almert was named the Best Sommelier in the World at the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale (ASI) championships in 2019. Originally from Cologne, the 29-year-old is currently the Head Sommelier at luxury hotel Baur au Lac in Zurich, Switzerland.

Michael Baum, Owner and CEO, Château de Pommard and Vivant

Michael Baum is an American entrepreneur and investor, best known for being the founder and CEO of Splunk, a big data software company. In 2014, he acquired the Château de Pommard in the heart of Burgundy, transforming both viticulture (now converted to biodynamics) and the distribution model. At the end of 2020, Michael will launch VIVANT, his latest project gathering like-minded producers from around the world.

Vanessa Conlin MW, Head of wine, Wine Access

Vanessa is the Head of Wine for Wine Access, a national direct-to-consumer e-com wine retailer where she oversees all wine curation and wine content.
Vanessa has served as the Director of Sales and Marketing for several of Napa’s most prestigious luxury estates including Arietta Wines and Dana Estates. Previously she was the wine buyer for two prominent Manhattan wine retailers and the Wine Director for a Manhattan-based wine bar.

Michael Moosbrugger, CEO Schloss Gobelsburg and Österreichische Traditionsweingüter President

Michael took over the responsibility of Schloss Gobelsburg winery, one of the oldest in Austria with more than 850y of history, in 1996 with great success, as he has been nomitated Best Winemaker in Austria many times, and Schloss Gobelsburg recognised amongst the top 100 wineries in the world.
Michael is also heading the Association of Traditional Wineries in Austria, with the mission to define a classification system based on a contemporary vision of quality.

Raquel Seabra, Executive board member, Sogrape, Portugal

Raquel Seabra is an Executive Board Member at Sogrape since 2018, where she heads Sustainability, Public Affairs and the International Distribution Group Companies. Prior to joining Sogrape, Raquel was with The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) for over 10 years where she reached the level of Principal. As a strategy consultant, she supported global and local clients in Portugal, Spain, Angola, Brazil, the U.K and the US, working on a wide range of strategic and operational issues across several industries.
In 2017, Raquel was named one of the “40 under 40” Portuguese leaders of the future.

With additional insights from:

  • Andrew Caillard MW, Co-founder, Langton’s Fine Wine classification
  • Peter McAtamney, Owner, Wine Business Solution
  • Charles Rigaux, Lecturer, Chaire Unesco Culture et Traditions du Vin

Registration for this Insight is now closed. You can access the full recordings for this session here: