It’s the rare person who hasn’t at one time or another thought about quitting his or her job and embarking on a different career. Most of us, however, are content to merely think about things 
without going out on a vocational limb unless something drastic forces our hand (having our job terminated, for example). Todd Wernstrom not only thought about it, he has actually made–well, not so much a complete career change, but certainly an occupational shift, moving from being a wine writer to becoming a wine importer and wholesaler. (Disclosure: Wernstrom and I have worked at the same print magazine over the years, but while he strikes me as an all-around good guy and fine wine writer, we live and work in different states and have met face-to-face on only a couple of occasions).
Wernstrom formed his new company, Ice Bucket Selections, in January 2008. The main reason he made the move was that he was feeling burned out as a wine writer. But another reason, he says, was that he came up with what he thinks is a new twist on selling wine.
‘I may be completely wrong, but after much study it seems to me there’s got to be a different (I didn’t say better) way to do the same thing,’ he explains. His approach? Deal only with small, family-owned and -operated wineries.
Wernstrom is quick to admit his may not be an entirely original concept, but he believes that he is focusing on it in a way that hasn’t been done before. ‘One way to stand out–which usually gets lost in the marketing–is to concentrate on the story of the family that actually makes the wine,’ he says. ‘Big importers that handle these types of wine simply can’t fit this kind of emphasis into their template, and so they end up selling the small wines the same way they do the Yellow Tails. I fully understand that my model requires lots and lots of one-on-one selling on my part, and that’s precisely what I intend to do.’
Another distinctive aspect to Wernstrom’s approach is that Ice Bucket wines will be distributed only in New York City, and only to restaurants, bars and retail shops that are clearly interested in ‘authentic, artisanal’ winemaking. Manhattan, he explains, ‘is maybe one of the few places in this country where the average wine drinker will always be willing to plunk down $10 to $25 on any given night to enhance dinner. Not that I’m limiting my range in any way,’ he added, ‘but it’s likely that the every-day category is where most of my business will be done, at least for now.’ The bulk of Ice Bucket wines will be sourced from France and Italy, and filled out with selections from California, Oregon, Washington and New York.
I asked Wernstrom if his momentous move was the realization of a long-held dream.
‘The transition from writer to importer/distributor was a natural one, though certainly not planned or dreamed,’ he answered. ‘In fact, if you had suggested that I’d be where I am now five years ago, I would have bet the house that you were wrong. But at the same time, there is simply no way I could have gotten to this point without all that came before. I needed to be a writer first before I could become a seller. If I hadn’t learned what I’ve learned the way I did, I just don’t think I could be the seller I hope to be.’
Unlike many romantics who come into the wine business with little knowledge of the basics, Todd Wernstrom has a pretty good grip on what he is getting into. For one thing, he’s already had hands-on experience with changing jobs, and his first career move–becoming a wine writer after ten years of practicing law–was considerably more extreme than this one. Furthermore, after a decade of writing for a variety of magazines and newspapers as well as lecturing and consulting about wine, he has an intimate knowledge of the subject. And, as any entrepreneur must, he has a clear economic strategy thought out.
‘Because I’ll be distributing all the wines I source myself, I’m actually improving my margins by doing away with an intermediary, he explains. ‘This will allow me to charge less if needed, and other times I’ll be able to clear more per bottle. I can be proactive in a way that many importers can’t be because they’re not willing or not able to sell their own wines themselves.’
But is he concerned about having made this leap in such perilous economic times, I wondered?
‘I may be foolish, but I believe that the state of the world doesn’t matter a whole lot,’ he said. ‘Even putting aside the truism that wine (alcohol in general) is somewhat recession proof, it seems to me that because wine is essentially food, consumers will continue to “eat” regardless of the economy. Maybe more importantly, at the end of the day, you either believe in your plan or you don’t. If you do, then you move forward–with your eyes wide open, of course–because if you listen to all the noise, you’ll be tentative, and if you are, you’ll not give yourself a chance to succeed–or fail.’
The Ice Bucket Selections web site will launch on July 1st.
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