US: Where to Taste 'Wines of Dange

(Wines&Vines) - Winemakers who set out to establish their own brands often find the path to success fraught with challenges and obstacles. And the idea of differentiating one brand in a sea of thousands can be downright terrifying.

Knowing this, winemaker Sabrine Rodems organized a group of fellow vintners under the name Wines of Danger. Rodems, winemaker at Wrath Wines in Soledad, Calif., also makes wine under her own label, Scratch. In fact several Wines of Danger members have full-time jobs and produce their wines on the side; others have struck out on their own, devoting all their time to their wine brands. Rodems said the idea of forming a joint marketing effort took hold during a camping trip some winemakers and their families took to the Sierra Nevada.

Rodems said she worked with a friend in public relations to come up with the name and marketing materials, admitting the name “Wines of Danger” is a bit tongue in cheek. But there is some actual danger to it: Rodems said part of the inspiration for the name came after the tip of one of her fingers was ripped off in a bottling line.

The finger was sewn up and is back to normal, but the experience was a telling reminder of the dangers (both financial and physical) that she faces as a winemaker. “It’s like being an acrobat without a safety net,” she said.