People:
Ned Hill

Vineyards are not wineries. If you own a vineyard, you had better know the wine business.

Mr. Ned Hill,  President-Vineyard Management Company

Some people think the romance of the wine is all in the drinking.  Fewer still think the romance of wine is in the growing.  Winery owner Matt Licklider says, “Great wine is grown, not made.”  One premium grower in Wine Country is a very young guy, at least by my standards, named Mr. Ned Hill.  At 33 years old, he has already been in the wine industry for nearly 25 years.  He started with his dad, Steven Hill, in the fields at age nine.  It took time to get a degree from Cal Poly and go to work managing his own 360 acres of premium grapes for six wineries.  “That represents approximately 700 tons of the finest grapes anybody can grow for wines,” said Ned.

“I’m a vineyard guy, not a winery/winemaker, but sometimes that distinction gets blurred depending on the season”,  Ned continued. For example, after harvest, Ned spends November through  February visiting all of his winery customers to see how the juice is developing into wine.  This is important to premium growers like Ned because premium fruit can only make premium wine in the hands of the right winery.  “My reputation is validated only if my fruit is treated properly, and I intend to protect my reputation for turning out the best fruit.”

Managing a vineyard complex with all the varietals is a year round job: no vacations.  Ned is always tending the fields with a constant eye on temperatures, rain, insects,  mildew, pruning, yield control and soil conditions.  Sometime conditions require picking fruit all night to maximize the benefits of the temperature.  “The real management trick is to understand the trends the wineries are facing, such as changes in consumer tastes, pricing constraints, volume, etc.  That is why I spend so much time with my customer.  If I notice an up-tick in a certain varietal, I look for land with climate and soil conditions that will support that grape”, he said.  At up to $200,000 per acre to buy or $1,000 per acre to lease, you had better be right on all counts.

Even in today’s market, the premium growers and wineries are not incentivized to cut corners.  Their focus is on target marketing-sell the premium wine experience to the consumer directly, by offering winery wine clubs, tastings, and on-line marketing.  Today, 50% direct sales is a good number if you can achieve it.  Unfortunately, premium wine sales through restaurants have really dropped.

“Being a successful grower is part science, part experience and part mother nature.  Growing premium fruit isn’t much about luck”, said Ned Hill.