Small Fortune Podcast

Hosted by Global Wine Partners

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Aug 2026

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About the show

Our podcast is about the wine business, how difficult it is to be successful and why. It’s also about the strategies that various participants in the industry have used to overcome the challenges inherent in making and selling wine. And it is simply about telling the stories of the wine business.

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60 recent

September 1, 202642 min

Ep 83: Tomorrow Cellars: Wine When You Don’t Want the Buzz with Tracy Sweeney

Tracy Sweeney had a big job managing the DTC operations for six luxury Napa brands in the Treasury Wine portfolio when she decided to leave to join a partner in founding Tomorrow Cellars, a company that produces alcohol-removed wines. Learn about her keys to management success in large companies, why she decided to become an entrepreneur, and the wild process of building a wine brand while learning how to make and sell a product that is regulated not by the TTB but by the FDA, and all the complexities that come with that. Carol and Tracy discuss a myriad of topics including the broad category of non-alcoholic adult beverages and her product’s role in keeping wine in front of those drinkers and occasions. Tracy’s products reflect the philosophy she learned from an early boss, Cathy Corison (interviewed in ep 28): “Wine represents a moment in time at a place on earth.” https://tomorrowcellars.com/ https://www.globalwinebank.com/2024/08/cathy-corisons-approach-to-business-success/ Questions? Comments? smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/ Editor: John Kiernan, The PodHouse Productions www.thepodhouseproductions.com Music: Nate Collison Logo Photography: John Corcoran

August 18, 202638 min

Ep 82: Global Wine Sourcing Pro Duncan Marks on Making Business Travel Work

Host Carol Collison talks to Nexterra Wine’s Director of Global Wine Sourcing Duncan Marks, a passionate and effective business traveler, about how his private label wine company Nexterra serves its winery and retailer clientele through fulfilling specific wine product requests as well as discovering and delivering new ideas. Duncan describes how he travels the world to source wine, the key annual wine trade shows. The conversation also includes an in-depth discussion about how to build and maintain successful international wine business relationships. The keys to success are, in addition to actually visiting current and potential suppliers: respect, curiosity and communication. https://www.nexterrawine.com/ Questions? Comments? smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/ Editor: John Kiernan, The PodHouse Productions www.thepodhouseproductions.com Music: Nate Collison Logo Photography: John Corcoran

August 4, 202639 min

Ep 81: Supporting America’s Grape Growers for the Long Haul with Stuart Spencer

As today’s guest Stuart Spencer - grape grower, winemaker, and Executive Director of the Lodi Winegrape Commission – puts it in today’s interview, the US is the only major wine producing country in the world that allows its national wine designation to include foreign-source wine. Carol and Stuart discuss the recent failure of a California law, AB 1585. With American grapes going unsold and growers in severe economic distress, California growers and many others in the industry joined together to eliminate this Federal labelling loophole. The industry is working on new ideas to accomplish this goal, and in her introduction, Carol encourages all stakeholders to come together to try to find a solution that works for everyone. Also included in the interview is a discussion of the role of grower organizations in the wine business as well as the podcast’s usual subject: how to be successful in the wine business. https://lodigrowers.com/ https://stamantwine.com/ Questions? Comments? smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/ Editor: John Kiernan, The PodHouse Productions www.thepodhouseproductions.com Music: Nate Collison Logo Photography: John Corcoran

July 21, 202636 min

Ep 80: Martha Barra on Mendocino and Organic Wine

Barra of Mendocino was founded by Charlie Barra, who began planting grapes in Mendocino in 1955. Martha joined the enterprise through marriage in 1980. Hear about the beauty of off-the-beaten path Mendocino, the cool-climate California growing region most committed to organic growing. Martha discusses the decision to convert their vineyards to organic farming in 1988. Through the family’s Redwood Valley Cellars, Barra is also a leading producer of organic wine for their own brand as well as on a custom basis for other wineries. Both the vineyards and the winery are CCOF certified (California Certified Organic Farming.) Host Carol Collison and Martha discuss the benefits of organics in general and CCOF certification in particular, and biochar makes another Small Fortune appearance. https://www.barraofmendocino.com/ https://www.redwoodvalleycellars.com/ Questions? Comments? smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/ Editor: John Kiernan, The PodHouse Productions www.thepodhouseproductions.com Music: Nate Collison Logo Photography: John Corcoran

July 7, 202640 min

Ep 79: Stephen Brauer: Route to Market is More Than Distributor Alignment

The Small Fortune Podcast is centered on the stories of entrepreneurial and small business success in the wine industry, but the lessons from large company management can be useful too. In today’s podcast, host Carol Collison speaks with Stephen Brauer, currently an industry consultant who has senior management experience at some of the wine industry’s largest companies. The two discuss why this moment in the industry may be actually harder for larger companies to navigate, whether the wine business is suitable for public markets, and what a comprehensive “route to market” strategy looks like, including the concept Stephen calls “ways of working”, which defines how a company can optimize performance in wholesale markets. https://vinexcel.com/ Questions? Comments? smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/ Editor: John Kiernan, The PodHouse Productions www.thepodhouseproductions.com Music: Nate Collison Logo Photography: John Corcoran

June 23, 202642 min

Ep 78: Randall Grahm: New Ideas in Terroir at Popelouchum Estate

Randall Grahm is a highly creative person whose ideas have been expressed in a number of well-known and successful brands. At various times during his career his Big House, Cardinal Zin, and Bonny Doon wine labels were sold to others, and now he has turned his unique point of view to the creation of a “sense of place”, or terroir, at his estate in San Benito on the Central Coast of California. Grape growers will be fascinated by his discussion of creating new varieties, how genetic diversity in the vineyard contributes to the expression of terroir, how the use of biochar “makes soil smart” and more. For winery owners and managers, Randall discusses his lessons learned over his career such as finding and building on underappreciated varietal niches, his unique use of humor in wine branding, and why the sale of Big House affected his winery operations. Carol and Randall also discuss today’s challenges in reaching younger consumers who are more visually oriented, and so less reachable through language, where Randall’s creativity as a writer really shines. https://www.popelouchum.com/ https://www.abebooks.com/9780520259560/Been-Doon-Long-Randall-Grahm-0520259564/plp Questions? Comments? smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/ Editor: John Kiernan, The PodHouse Productions www.thepodhouseproductions.com Music: Nate Collison Logo Photography: John Corcoran

June 9, 202638 min

Ep 77: Glenn Proctor on the Future Grape Market and More

Glenn Proctor’s family has been growing grapes on a ~200-acres ranch in the Dry Creek Valley since 1904. Today he is not only a grape grower but a proprietor of a small family wine label (Puccioni Vineyards) and a Partner in the Ciatti Global Wine & Grape Brokers. While the subject of the industry’s current grape and wine supply/demand challenges does come up, most of the conversation is about subjects like running a multi-generational farming business, Zinfandel’s place in the wine business, and how growers should think about possible varietals of the future. Since both Glenn and Carol are brokers (albeit in different aspects of the industry) and so they also discuss what it takes to manage transactions and have longevity in their professions. https://ciatti.com/ https://www.puccionivineyards.com/ Questions? Comments? smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/ Editor: John Kiernan, The PodHouse Productions www.thepodhouseproductions.com Music: Nate Collison Logo Photography: John Corcoran

May 26, 202637 min

Ep 76: Building a Luxury Service Brand with Silverado Farming’s Pete Richmond

It seems unusual to describe a B2B business as a luxury offering but as Silverado Farming Company has evolved over its 25 years, that is the positioning that its founder Pete Richmond has sought. In host Carol’s first interview with a vineyard management company owner, you will hear how Richmond has developed his business to emphasize key attributes of luxury: exclusivity, quality, prestige, and sustainability. Pete is a student of business - and as you will hear - a manager who understands that there is more to business success than maximizing the money in an owner’s pocket. Hear how he created a business that grows brand capital, human capital, and yields other intangible rewards to its owners and employees such as giving back to the community, while also generating profitability. http://www.silveradofarming.com/ Questions? Comments? smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/ Editor: John Kiernan, The PodHouse Productions www.thepodhouseproductions.com Music: Nate Collison Logo Photography: John Corcoran

May 12, 202637 min

Ep 75: A Short Course in Publicity with O.G. Julie Ann Kodmur

Today’s wine business has been shaped by pioneers like Jule Ann Kodmur, who worked on an early Sotheby’s wine auction, and then worked for many important distributors and wine companies. She started her own consulting firm in 1997. Julie Ann and host Carol Collison talk through the differences between working for a company and being self-employed, but most importantly Julie Ann shares many, many great ideas about how to get publicity for your company. From stodgy old media to today’s influencer media environment, Julie Ann has experienced it all on behalf of her clients. http://julieannkodmur.com/ Questions? Comments? smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/ Editor: John Kiernan, The PodHouse Productions www.thepodhouseproductions.com Music: Nate Collison Logo Photography: John Corcoran

April 28, 202644 min

Ep 74: Selling Paso Robles with Jenny Heinzen

Jenny Heinzen is the Broker and Principal of Vineyard Professional Real Estate in Paso Robles, CA. She is the leading seller of winery and vineyard properties in this market. Why would Carol Collison, a winery M&A advisor, invite a fellow professional on her podcast? It’s because Jenny and Carol aren’t really direct competitors. In this conversation you’ll hear the difference between the two practices (Broker v. Advisor) as it relates to issues such as acquiring clients, finding buyers, and managing a transaction process. Jenny provides an update on the Paso Robles vineyard and winery real estate market beginning around the 32-minute mark for those who want to skip the broker talk. https://vineyardprorealestate.com/ Questions? Comments? smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/ Editor: John Kiernan, The PodHouse Productions www.thepodhouseproductions.com Music: Nate Collison Logo Photography: John Corcoran