Chapter 100: Soaring Fame (2)
TL: Hanguk
The night in LA passed, and morning broke.
But it wasn't wine that graced the front pages of the newspapers.
[George Clooney & Brad Pitt Once Again Command the Red Carpet of the Century]
[Sting's Performance Brings the Beverly Hilton to Tears]
[Angelina Jolie Named Best-Dressed]
The stars were the protagonists of the day. 「Variety」, 「People」, 「Hollywood Reporter」, even「E! Online」... reporters dissected the actors' smiles and outfits, while the wines and brands that had sponsored the event were summed up in a single line.
"This gala featured Silver Oak Revival Cabernet and Redwood Winery's Sylphide as the sponsor wines."
That was all. People were curious about what the celebrities wore and who they spoke with, not about which wines had caught their attention.
But two days later, when the New York-based outlet 'Page Six' ran a short breaking story, things began to shift.
[George Clooney & Brad Pitt Jointly Win Sylphide Limited Edition – $10,500]
At the bottom of the article was the line: "The limited edition wine from the Hollywood Humanitarian Gala."
That single line lit the fuse.
The next day, 「Wine Enthusiast」 picked it up, followed by 「Food & Wine」. And a single sentence from 「the New York Times Lifestyle Section」, describing the actions of the two top stars, etched the name Sylphide into the public consciousness.
"It's said that George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and other top stars and industry figures at the event fell so deeply in love with Sylphide that they made trips to New York specifically to acquire the limited edition."
Naturally, people began searching for the wine called Sylphide. Those whose interest in Pinot Noir had already been piqued by the film Sideways started making the rounds of wine retailers in hopes of finding a bottle.
The person who picked up on this reaction most acutely was Christopher, the head of White & Company Wine Trading.
"Boss! New York, Boston, Washington D.C... almost every wine shop is placing orders for Sylphide!"
It was the kind of report that called for a victory shout. And yet, even in such a favorable situation, why was Christopher feeling regret...
"Huuuh... I shouldn't have reviewed Echelon..."
Things had reached the point where Christopher was even considering whether he ought to step away from wine criticism altogether. As far as he knew, Echelon was just about due for bottling and release around now, and if he had been distributing Echelon as well, the synergy would have been tremendous, no question.
In particular, unlike Pinot Noir, which was easy and light to drink, Echelon had a firm, complex structure that would surely be beloved by wine enthusiasts, with its reputation only climbing with each passing year. Missing out on it was bitterly disappointing.
"What should we do?"
He spoke in a regretful tone to the marketing director, who was watching his expression carefully.
"Gather everyone in the conference room."
"Yes, sir."
Once the staff had been summoned, Christopher stood in front of the whiteboard, holding a black marker and scratching his head. His heart was still full of regret, but it was water under the bridge.
"For now, we're going to completely overhaul the distribution strategy we originally drafted."
Glancing once around at his surprised employees, he spoke in a firm voice.
"We already know from the Wine Masters TV show just how devastating the brand recognition we gain from entertainment programming can be. From this event, with top stars winning Sylphide's limited edition at auction, we've learned through the surge in additional orders from wine retailers that there's a strong image-enhancement effect, perhaps not on the level of Wine Masters, but considerable nonetheless."
The staff nodded.
"Originally, we participated in the event for a bit of publicity and to expose Sylphide to top stars so we could make them key customers. I never imagined we'd get results this good. But now that things have turned out this way, we have no choice but to revise our strategy. The original plan was to prioritize sales to consumers who had pre-ordered through our catalog, then distribute whatever remained through wine retailers."
"Correct."
"From here, we're going to cut the supply even further. One case per retailer, per month."
For a moment, the staff were stunned. In the current climate, one case a month would all but guarantee a 'SOLD OUT' sticker plastered permanently on the shelf.
"Boss, if we sell that way, we're going to accumulate substantial inventory in the warehouse."
"I know. But I don't think we need to rush to sell off all of this year's Sylphide. Our strategy is to stockpile as much of the Sylphide we currently have as possible."
"Ah..."
"In the long run, we're going to sell the 2005 Sylphide at a much more valuable price. So we're moving beyond simply distributing in small quantities, to a strategy where retailers merely display the wine."
The marketing director, understanding what the boss was getting at, shook his head in amazement.
"So consumers will keep waiting and never get to buy it."
"Won't the retailers push back?"
Christopher answered with complete confidence.
"Never... they'll be desperate just to receive one case a month. With no Sylphide available, consumers will buy other wines instead. They'll actually love Sylphide more for keeping customers coming back."
"Ah! That makes sense."
"You all need to understand that Sylphide is going to become our company's flagship wine. To make that happen, we need to keep raising its value. Don't burden yourselves with the pressure of clearing inventory. That inventory is going to be our treasure."
Having resolved to deliberately stockpile his own inventory, Christopher tried to suppress his excitement and respond to the market calmly.
Cambridge Street, Boston. Julia, an office worker, was walking briskly while muttering to herself with worry.
'I've heard it's incredibly hard to find...'
She had already stopped at two shops, failed at both, and this was her third. Lately, her one and only hobby was drinking wine with steak after work, and when she heard that George Clooney, whom she adored, had personally taken part in the limited edition auction, she absolutely had to get her hands on Sylphide.
She walked with the fervent hope that the shop she was heading to now would have the wine she was looking for.
Ding!
Pushing open the glass door of the wine shop, with The Cellar District written across it in gold lettering, she drew in a small breath. The jazz pleasing to her ears, the cool air, and the cork scent that brushed against her nose all gave her a flutter of anticipation.
"Looking for anything in particular?"
The clerk, who had been tidying the counter, was the first to speak. Wearing a slim violet tie, he offered a friendly smile.
"Um... do you have Sylphide? Redwood Winery's Pinot Noir."
The clerk's expression became visibly apologetic.
"Ah... by any chance, did you see the news? The article about George Clooney and Brad Pitt taking the limited edition at that New York charity auction."
"I saw it yesterday."
"That's a shame. Actually, that wine wasn't ever really a shop wine to begin with."
"Huh? Really? The other shops didn't say anything like that."
"It was being sold through our catalog as a pre-order, and only started coming into the shop last week. That's probably why they didn't bring it up."
"Ah... I see."
"But unfortunately, the Sylphide that came in once vanished completely after that New York auction news. We only got 5 cases to begin with, which wasn't much, and with the news on top of that, it didn't last even a few days."
She couldn't quite wrap her head around it.
"Five cases is still sixty bottles, which is quite a lot. How could everything that came in last week be gone already?"
"Is this your first year with Sylphide, by any chance?"
For a moment, her face flushed slightly. She felt a touch of embarrassment at buying wine because it was trendy.
"Yes..."
"In that case, the current situation might be hard to understand. The truth is, even last year Sylphide was quite well-known among wine enthusiasts, but the volume itself was small. As you mentioned, Redwood Winery is a small operation, with annual production of only 3,000 cases, and last year it became famous after winning Double Gold."
"Ah... so that's why..."
"So customers who pre-ordered through the catalog received their bottles easily, but those who didn't had to come to the shop in advance and put down reservations. That's how 5 cases sold out in an instant."
At his words, Julia nodded, her gaze landing on the end of the display shelf with the Sylphide label. She let out a small sigh at the bright red 'SOLD OUT' sticker marking the empty spot.
[Sylphide, Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2006 / $150]
"Then can I put down a reservation too?"
"You can place a reservation, but no one knows when more will come in."
"No one knows?"
The clerk shrugged.
"There's a rumor that the distributor is deliberately controlling the inventory. From a consumer's perspective it's a bit cruel, but apparently that's their strategy these days. Which is exactly why people want it more."
A middle-aged man who had been browsing labels beside them cut in.
"Is it really that famous? I'm not big on wines that are just famous."
Knowing that wine enthusiasts tended to be picky and particular, the clerk wasn't the least bit offended and answered.
"It became famous when the top stars sought it out, but it's been a well-known wine since last year. Most people say that anyone who enjoys Pinot Noir couldn't dislike it. And since it won Double Gold, you don't have to question the quality."
"I'm not really into Pinot Noir..."
"If you're looking for something with weighty structure and rich aromatics, I could recommend Echelon, also from Redwood... it also won Double Gold."
He didn't seem particularly excited even at the mention of Double Gold, but...
"For me, what suits my palate is what matters most... still, if it's a Cabernet Sauvignon, I'm interested... do you have any?"
"As luck would have it, I have exactly one bottle."
"One bottle?"
When the customer tilted his head as if he couldn't understand, the clerk chuckled.
"Our boss went all the way to Sacramento himself to get this. He wanted to bring back more, but he could only get 3 cases, and after two days they were all gone. There's just this one bottle left."
"I'll take it."
He placed the order first and worried about the rest later. If it was a wine people were searching for this desperately, securing it was a guaranteed win.
"It's $150. Is that all right?"
"Price doesn't matter."
For someone who didn't drink much and only had wine casually, $150 was a stretch, but for a wine enthusiast, $150 wasn't all that expensive. Especially for those who enjoyed French wines, $150 felt downright cheap.
The clerk carefully wrapped the single bottle of Echelon and said:
"If you're a customer who normally enjoys Cabernet Sauvignon, you'll definitely be satisfied."
"Sounds like you're pretty confident?"
"Our boss, like yourself, prefers heavy, complex blended wines over light, refreshing ones, and after tasting this Echelon, he's been keeping one of the three cases he brought back without opening it."
"So he went all the way out there and only sold two cases?"
"Yes, that's how much he liked it. He said it was the same shock he felt drinking Insignia and Opus One."
The man swallowed hard, suddenly in a hurry.
"It's for me to drink, so don't worry about fancy wrapping."
"Understood. I'll just pack it like this then."
When the middle-aged man, the long wine bag the clerk had handed him in tow, hurried out of the shop, Julia wore a regretful expression.
"So when do you think that Echelon will come in?"
The clerk again furrowed his brow and looked sorry.
"Ah... Macy's Department Store seems to have secured a significant quantity of Echelon, so they're the ones selling it. You'll have to go to Macy's rather than here. Though the price will probably be much higher than ours."
"More than $150?"
"Probably at least double."
She regretted not having acted faster a moment ago and said:
"Then please put down a reservation for me first."
The clerk handed her a reservation card.
"Your name and contact number, please. We'll call in the order we receive them when stock comes in."
Julia wrote her name and number in neat handwriting and asked:
"By the way, the other shops didn't even mention reservations. Why do you think that is?"
The clerk chuckled, then gave a curious smile.
"Probably because they don't know how much they'll be getting. And they might not sell all of what comes in either."
"Why not?"
"Because the value keeps climbing, visibly and unmistakably. It happens from time to time, wines that even the shops are reluctant to sell."
At that, Julia became all the more curious about that Pinot Noir.
*****
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