Jon Stojan
Photo credit: CIRQ, a Pinot Noir grown in the heart of the Russian River Valley.
Winemaking is all about balance – obtaining optimum conditions for the grapes to grow properly, achieving the right fermentation, and finding the desired balance between complex aromatics, a velvety mouthfeel, light savory and luscious notes, and balanced acidity in the finished wine. Complexity is the goal. Furthermore, there is another aspect that needs to be balanced – the art of winemaking and the business of owning a winery.
This is what Michael Browne, Founder of Browne Family Wines, has learned since he began making wine in 1997. Before pursuing his dream as a winemaker, he worked as a sommelier at several fine dining restaurants in Sonoma County, California. Seeing the various expensive wines on restaurant menus and at the bottle shops, created an image in his head that the average winemaker was someone who was flush with cash and had no problem investing in their facilities and winemaking.
“That couldn’t be further from the truth,” Michael says. “There’s an old saying in the winemaking world, that to make a million dollars in wine, you have to spend 10 million dollars. I had no formal training in university, and in the early days, I just relied on my gut feeling. I learned as much as I could about making good wine, as well as how we can market this wine as effectively as we can, to get a great profit margin, and to delight the senses.”
Michael’s first foray into the business of wine was with his restaurant colleague Dan Kosta, and they made Pinot Noir under the Kosta Browne brand. Later, a third partner, Chris Costello, joined them. According to Michael, through a carefully designed business model, Kosta Browne was able to achieve what would normally take 10 years and $10 million in just five years with limited capital. All of this was achieved with a starting budget of only $800. As time went on, Kosta Browne became known for its quality, eventually being recognized by Wine Spectator as the #1 Wine of the Year in 2011 for its 2009 vintage Pinot Noir. To date, it is the only Pinot Noir to ever reach the top spot.
Michael later sold his stake in Kosta Browne and pursued his dream of a family-owned winery. Purchasing an estate in Sonoma’s Russian River Valley, Michael took what he learned at Kosta Browne and parlayed that success into Browne Family Wines and its two brands: CIRQ and CHEV. Released only once a year, CIRQ is exclusively offered to members, with a waitlist sometimes reaching 3 to 4 years. Chev, meanwhile, is offered twice per year, in the spring and the fall, also with a waiting list.
Having lived and worked in California’s Wine Country for almost three decades, Michael says that many winemakers skew on either side of the artistry-business spectrum. On one end are winemakers who spare no expense and effort on their craft, creating excellent quality wine. But, the lack of a concrete business and marketing plan means that they are struggling to break even. While some wealthy individuals treat winemaking as a hobby or a vanity project, it is a source of livelihood for many others. On the opposite end, however, are those who treat winemaking as pure business – everything is aimed at profit, and the passion may be different.
One factor complicating the process is that, due to natural conditions, no two vintages are exactly alike, resulting in flavor variations between years. The big commercial wineries mitigate this by homogenizing their product, blending wines of different varieties and vintages to achieve a uniform taste. Which, Michael says, is in itself an amazing feat, and incredibly difficult to achieve.
CIRQ, a Pinot Noir grown in the heart of the Russian River Valley.
Artisans like Michael, on the other hand, prefer to let the variations shine through, just as Mother Nature intended. Doing things this way means that the aromatics, mouthfeel, flavors, and overall experience of the wine are dictated by nature itself.
According to Michael, his goal with CIRQ and CHEV is not to make the best wine in the world but rather to make the best wine he and his team can. He believes that no one wine will appeal to all drinkers, so a winemaker needs to find a consumer profile or niche that likes their product and create products that they will like. This creates a loyal following for the brand, many of which act as disciples and spread awareness of the brand by word of mouth.
In 2020, Michael published his book Pinot Rocks, a memoir of his life, including his time in the circus and restaurant worlds, and his eventual plunge into winemaking. It includes the various lessons and insights he picked up along the way and seeks to motivate readers to follow their passions and turn their dreams into reality. A second book is now in the works.
“Across the years, I have learned so much about winemaking, both as an art and as a business,” Michael says. “The important thing is to balance both sides – sometimes you have to listen to the artist inside you and other times, you need to have the businessman take over. You have to be malleable, as problems will always arise in one area or another. I believe that you need to be a risk-taker if you want your dreams to come true. But, these risks must be smart and calculated. And that’s sound advice, whether in winemaking, business, or life in general.”