Exploring the future of craft wine with Mark Norman, CEO of CBC

You describe yourself as a “Lifetime Wine Lover.” How did you first get started in the wine world, and what inspired you to dedicate so much of your life to it?

Getting started in the wine industry was very interesting. I had many friends urge me to get involved because of what they viewed as my “expertise”. In hindsight, I realize now that I actually knew very little about wine. It is an extremely complicated subject.

I have to admit that what inspired me was my growing love of discovering new and different wines. Especially early on, there seemed to be an endless list of grapes that I had not yet tasted. I am blessed with an incredible drive to learn. To date, I probably have read over 100 wine books.

Healthy lifestyle and wine don’t always appear together in the same sentence. With your focus on nutritional farming at MarKris Organic Farms, how do you reconcile the two — and can wine actually support a healthier way of living?

Reconciling healthy lifestyle and wine can be challenging because solid data is unavailable. I just recently read an article by a New Zealand doctor who owns a winery that much of the published reports are often taken out of context. Just yesterday a medical report from the American College of Cardiology stated that even small amounts of alcohol can affect a person’s blood pressure. But without very specific controls there are countless other factors that can also affect blood pressure. I know because I watch my blood pressure very closely.

Caffeine has a much greater effect. A lack of exercise can also play a big role. Issuing a blanket statement is wrong. Within the report they also discuss moderate consumption of a glass or two if wine. Even for individuals without blood pressure issues drinking more than a glass or two is not healthy. Finally, I look at the significant number of centenarians in Sardinia who consume three glasses of wine daily.

For those who don’t know, what exactly is Craft Beverage Corporation and what makes it different from other platforms in the wine and spirits industry?

Craft Beverage Corporation was intended to help promote small high-quality winery in the global market place. Along with my South African partner, Johann Diedericks, who ran Northbridge Global, we worked together until COVID struck. The South African government shut down all activities related to alcohol sales. Eventually my good friend had to leave the industry.

When did you first realize there was a gap in how people discover and interact with craft wines, beers, and spirits, and how did CBC emerge as a solution?

A key issue especially for smaller wineries is the discovery of their wines by wine drinkers and how this happens. I feel that for many wine drinkers there is a gap from them discovering a wine and interacting with craft producers. Here in America most of the wines that get good distribution are the mass produced wines.

The higher quality wines that are produced by craft wineries are often ignored by the larger importers and distributors. They are nearly impossible to find outside of small wine shops (who generally have very limited selection and quantities). If a wine comes from a region that an individual doesn’t know and if that wine is made from grape varieties that they don’t know what will drive them to try even one bottle? Very few wine shops will still offer tastings. One of the key critical ways for a wine drinker to discover new wines from new regions is to travel!

The key method we used (CBC and Northbridge) was to promote detailed information about wineries, wines, and regions directly to consumers. Bringing stories of producers to wine lovers helped close the gap.

As someone who has explored so many wines, do you have a personal favorite wine style or a region that holds a special place in your heart?

To be honest I either don’t have a personal favorite place or I have many. There are at least 7 regions in Italy, 4 in France, one in Portugal and several in Spain that my wife and I love. I know that I wish I could visit much more often.

You’re very active on LinkedIn, building conversations and sharing insights. How do you see the role of digital networking and community building in shaping the future of the wine and beverage industry?

There is no other platform that I have found that compares to LinkedIn. I have been using it for at least 15 years. As of this morning I have 30,000 1st level connections (the maximum number). I believe that I have connections in practically every wine producing country in the world. I have also built and developed over 30 wine groups devoted to specific topics.

Total membership in my groups is approaching 100,000. The ability to share ideas is unsurpassed. I estimate that I probably have over a thousand active partners who I never have personally met yet I consider them good friends. This provides the ability to interact with professionals that otherwise would require extensive international travel.

How do you see the wine world evolving over the next 5 years? Which trends should producers and consumers pay attention to most closely?

An incredible question that I feel has countless possibilities. Post COVID, there are still few people who interact and entertain the way people did before COVID. I see a real issue among (American) wineries finding competent help. If pricing in California isn’t adjusted they will find fewer and fewer options for keeping their market share.

Yet wine is the most social of all beverages. As people seek ways to embrace company these is nothing like a bottle of good wine to bring individuals together. Yes, there are significant challenges for the wine industry but I am confident that wine drinkers will save the day.

Photo & info credit: Mark

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Salute e alla prossima!
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👋🏻 Ciao, sono Mihaela Cojocaru DipWSET | Autrice del libro "Metodo WINExcel"   Export Coach   WSET Educator | Docente export & digital marketing c/o Italian Food Academy & Methodus Srl (Edotto)  | Event Planner

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