Wine Start-Up Secrets
Some good friends of mine have just launched a new wine - plonk. The term 'plonk' has a long and storied history. The Boston Globe has a "Plonk of the Month" wine section that highlights affordable wines that are very enjoyable. They define 'plonk' as, "a word which was used to describe the cheapest wine available in a cafe, goes back at least to the first World War, and may have been an English corruption of the French "vin blanc" (white wine)". The name was perfect for my friends - they wanted to cut through the snobbery that sometimes surrounds the industry to create a great wine at a reasonable price.
The road to plonk launch was long and involved. In 2003, Michael (one of the partners) helped open a wine bar in Bozeman, Montana called "plonk". About a year later, he decided to trademark the term to create a brand of wines. Since separated from the bar, he launched a company with two wine-loving friends (P3W inc.) to bring plonk to life. Their first wine, "plonk red," has just been released and is now being distributed throughout Montana.
Michael has started a great blog to chronicle the trials and tribulations of plonk launch. If you've ever dreamed of creating your own line of fine wine, you need to check this out. Follow the plonk path from a small town in Montana to worldwide distribution, fame and fortune at http://plonk.posterous.com.
