Just when I thought that there could not possibly be another online wine club that would interest me, Mark Aselstine of Uncorked Ventures sent me an email “wanting to start a conversation.” Although I knew that he wanted to promote his business, I didn’t want to press the delete button immediately. I always prefer to do my own research with hopes of finding a hidden gem to share. And this time I succeeded.
After a few back and forth emails, it was apparent that Uncorked Ventures is on target with their business plan. Mark and his brother-in-law Matt Krause are diligently searching (and are having quite of bit of fun doing so, by the way) for wines that meet the needs of smart, savvy consumers who have an eclectic palate, a desire to try new wines not found in the usual wine shops, and limited time to search for them.
Mark graciously sent me two bottles of wine from Uncorked Ventures so I could taste the style and quality offered. I’ll go on the record and say that if these wines are indicative of what is sent, club members are fortunate indeed. The Bluxome Street Winery 2012 Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley is a complex, layered, balanced Pinot that exhibited notes of red fruit, earth, mushrooms, and herbs leading to a spicy, satisfying finish. A sparkling wine, Caraccioli Brut Cuvee 2008 from the Santa Lucia Highlands is a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and produced in the Méthode Champenoise. Fruit forward with toast, almonds, and citrus on the palate along with tiny, persistent bubbles, this was a real treat.
But what also makes a difference (to me at least)? I want to have a personal connection with the people who are curating the wines I’m purchasing; understanding their personality and philosophy always sheds light on what may be in the glass.
Read my Q&A with Mark Aselstine to learn about who is going to ensure that your wine is just what you want.
GE: How did you decide to start Uncorked Ventures?
Mark: We started Uncorked Ventures after noticing that the quality of wine from one region of California to another varied so greatly, let alone when we started looking at what was available to my family in Buffalo, New York. As an example, Pisoni is a pretty well known grower, but they produce a single, estate bottled Pinot that’s just amazing. Here in San Francisco, you can find it at a few select wine shops, in San Diego it’s nearly impossible to find and they don’t have distribution in NY (at least the last time we worked with the wine). We wanted to ship the wine that San Francisco gets to access based largely on location to people across the country.
GE: What is your background?
Mark: When we opened, I had absolutely no wine background at all. I had worked a corporate real estate job out of college, but was looking for something I could call my own. Matt’s been an avid collector of wine since the first tech bubble and introduced me to many of the names we worked with at the beginning of Uncorked Ventures.
GE: What are your business goals?
Mark: Our goals are pretty straight forward: we want to provide wine and gift baskets that customers will enjoy, while telling the story of the people behind the wine and why we think the wines we’re shipping are important or noteworthy. Sure, at work we all have growth goals etc, but really…..many of these small production wines deserve more attention and if we do a good enough job telling their story, the rest should work out just fine.
GE: How many wineries are represented in Uncorked Ventures?
Mark: Unlike virtually anyone else, we don’t have a set list of wineries that we work with. Looking back at my notes, we shipped wines from 103 wineries over the past year. Very rarely will customers see a second bottle from the same winery, unless there’s something truly unique about the winemaker, vineyard, etc.
GE: How do you curate the wineries and their wine?
Mark: Everyone always likes to laugh at the process, almost always asking about how it was that I came about this job…but I actually spend time in wine country. Last week, as an example I spent a day in Napa, first tasting through a range of wines from the wineries on Atlas Peak (many of which were their lots for Premiere Napa), then meeting a winemaker in Calistoga and tasting through his lineup. It’s not the toughest part of the job, but relationships in the wine industry matter, I think, more than most. Given that there are under 1,000 people making wine in Napa, it actually doesn’t take long before winemakers end up suggesting projects from their friends or former coworkers, and more to check out.
GE: Does Uncorked Ventures have a specialty or focus for the wines?
Mark: We try not to have a specific focus. Instead I’d rather tell the tale of what’s happening and what the wine industry feels is important. In California, there’s so much talk about the low alcohol movement and cooler vineyard sites, so we’ve shipped a lot of Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast, Anderson Valley and quite a few from Oregon. We’ve also tried to feature wines from urban wineries since those are all the rage right now and more than likely, you’ll have one in your neighborhood sooner rather than later.
GE: Are you going to offer unusual varietals or do you already?
Mark: I think everyone has a different definition of what is an obscure varietal at this point, heck sometimes in San Francisco it seems like a truly obscure varietal might be Merlot! That being said I know we have a California coastal Pinotage upcoming that’s always a fun one since there’s so little of it planted in California. Over the past few months we’ve also shipped a Touriga and a few Rhone whites that aren’t exactly mainstream….yet.
GE: Do you travel to wineries to taste the wines you’ll offer?
Mark: Over the past four years… maybe 200? More perhaps. We’ve spent a ton of time in Sonoma, Napa, Paso Robles and and Santa Barbara. The Willamette Valley is a favorite just because it still feels so new compared to California’s wine regions. I’ve also worked harvest, bottling and more at wineries over the past few years. Being able to better communicate in winemaker’s language, I believe, helps us find better wine.
GE: How does your wine club stand out from the others?
Mark: I think the wines that we ship are what stands out more than anything else. Plus we’re actually family owned and operated. As an example, I mentioned tasting in Calistoga earlier, the winery is called People’s Wine Revolution and they make about 750 cases across 6 wines. It’s small enough that my competitors, especially those in Los Angeles and New York (both cities I love by the way) wouldn’t ever find them.
GE: Why should I buy wine from Uncorked Ventures?
Mark: We’re nice and we honestly care? In all seriousness, we ship a lot of wine that simply isn’t available elsewhere, so if someone wanted access to wines not available where they live with a focus on quality, we’re a good bet.
Cheers to you, Mark! ~ Cindy
