HEIDELBERG VINEYARDS
Heidelberg was recognized as the eighth largest wine distributor for 2021 in the US by Wines Vines Analytics Distributor Market Service. While Heidelberg is well known as a distributor of beer, wine, spirits, and non-alcoholics to every market in Ohio and Kentucky, what may not be as well-known is Heidelberg’s role in the wine import business with Heidelberg Vineyards. The venture had humble beginnings, trying to fill a void in the Cleveland market’s portfolio and not necessarily with the intentions of growing the enterprise into what it is today
When Heidelberg expanded into the Cleveland/Akron market in 1994, giving the company coverage in all corners of the state of Ohio, the portfolio the company acquired in its new territory did not have access to all the same wine suppliers that they had in other parts of the state. There was a big drop off between the rest of Heidelberg’s markets and Cleveland when it came to wines from Bordeaux. This was a concern for then President of Heidelberg Cleveland, Dan Greathouse. “We had always bought Bordeaux from other suppliers, principally from Seagram Chateau & Estate,” said Dan. “They had an extraordinary portfolio with all the famous names: Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Chateau Margaux, Chateau Lafite and Chateau Haut-Brion amongst others. We were not aligned with them in Cleveland, and we needed Bordeaux to sell.”
One of the misconceptions that Heidelberg Vineyards is working on tearing down, is that all wines from Bordeaux are high priced and not affordable by the average consumer.
Dan Greathouse – President Heidelberg Vineyards
“That’s like looking at the automotive industry and saying all cars are Ferrari’s and come at that price point. We want to show that there are wines from this region that are both delicious and affordable.”
The importing from Bordeaux that Dan had begun in the Cleveland market, and eventually expanded into Columbus, fostered relationships with wine makers and industry people. Those relationships would prove beneficial years later when Seagram Chateau & Estate and the rest of the Seagram’s holdings were divided up in a split sale to Diageo and Pernod Ricard. Those Bordeaux legacy brands eventually would come under Heidelberg control for the first time in Cleveland and Columbus. Once that happened the idea for what is now Heidelberg Vineyards began to take shape. “The Bordeaux that we were selling in Cleveland we were getting at a better price than the wine that we were getting from Seagram Chateau,” said Dan. “I was able to track the profit margins for Seagram and compared it to what we were making. Heidelberg Chief Operating Officer Joe Noll asked me; ‘if we’re able to import this wine (in Cleveland and Columbus) for ourselves, would we be able to sell it to other distributors?’ I said, absolutely! This would not only give us an opportunity to create a new revenue stream, but it would also afford the opportunity to develop new relationships with other people in our industry.”
Since its beginnings, Heidelberg Vineyards has continued to evolve, grow, and develop through the philosophy of what Dan calls a “portfolio of friends.” One of those “friends” is Nicolas Idiart, a graduate of the renowned French winemaking school, Blanquefort and the founder of Maison Idiart Winery. Nicolas began his career working for the Sichel Family of Chateau Palmer, learning the business side of the wine industry before beginning his own vineyard. Through his work in the US with Chateau Palmer and the relationship fostered with Heidelberg and Dan, another important contact was made in the “portfolio of friends.” “After he started his own vineyard, Nicolas brought to our attention a local vineyard near Bordeaux that for nearly 80 years had only sold their wine to the local co-op. They weren’t making wine under their own name,” said Dan. “Here was an opportunity to take Cabernet Sauvignon, a grape native to Bordeaux, and give the American consumer an opportunity to taste this wine from its native soil. This isn’t something that was normally done, apart from Chateau Latour which is about $1,000 a bottle.”
The goal was to create a wine which had never been bottled from its native home and do it in a price point that would open an entirely new experience for consumers. “From our work, we created two different wines,” Dan said. “The first is called La Boulangerie, which is French for bakery. The name is based on bread and wine being daily staples of life in France. We decided to make two different wines from this single vineyard property. As it turned out, the best blend we tasted was from lot 59. With 59 being a prime number, it became 59 Prime.” These wines are a combination of Nicolas’ wine making skill, Dan’s marketing acumen and the duo’s collaboration on the final blend.
One of the misconceptions that Heidelberg Vineyards is working on tearing down is that all wines from Bordeaux are high priced and not affordable by the average consumer. “That’s like looking at the automotive industry and saying all cars are Ferrari’s and come at that price point,” Dan says. “We want to show that there are wines from this region that are both delicious and affordable.”
Heidelberg Vineyards has continued to import select wines from the Bordeaux region of France and has expanded its reach to other regions in the country as well as in other European countries. The expansion was organic and was built solely on relationships that Dan had built during his time importing wines for the company. “We started by essentially importing a great portfolio of friends,” says Dan. “It has just continued to grow from one relationship to another. It started with Bordeaux but has since grown to Champagne, Spain, Germany, Italy and even the United States.”
As Heidelberg Vineyards has continued to grow, the resources needed to maintain the growth of the company have changed. Brent Wagener, former Vice President & General Manager of Wine Trends, was added to the leadership team, as Executive Vice President – Wine. “Brent has been a tremendous addition,” Dan said. “He is an industry veteran and has so much knowledge to offer from not only his time running Wine Trends but his knowledge of Bordeaux from our days with Seagram Chateau. The coordinated efforts of our fine wine managers and sales teams in each of our markets is truly what has made Heidelberg Vineyards a success.”
