Stoel Rives | Deeply Rooted Podcast S2E2: How to Flip Turn: Starting a Commercial Wine Label with Meg Rulli, Owner of Flipturn Cellars
In this episode of the Stoel Rives | Deeply Rooted Podcast, Meg Rulli and Merissa Moeller discuss Rulli's transition to winemaking and her role among a new generation of women in the industry, touching on the challenges of launching a wine brand, the influence of extreme weather on winemaking, and how her competitive swimming background has shaped her brand.
Click here to view all episodes >>
In the latest episode of the Stoel Rives | Deeply Rooted Podcast, Meg Rulli, owner of Flipturn Cellars in Portland, Oregon, joined Merissa Moeller, water and land use attorney for Stoel Rives LLP, to discuss Ms. Rulli's second career as a winemaker, joining an exciting cohort of new women winemakers.
During this episode, Ms. Rulli describes her journey to producing her first wine, a Syrah inspired by her travels, and how her background in competitive swimming helped shape her brand. She shares additional insights including:
- Being a Part of a New Generation of Woman Winemakers
- The Business Considerations of Launching a Wine Brand
- Extreme Weather Impacts on the Future of Winemaking
Episode Recap
In the latest episode of the Stoel Rives | Deeply Rooted podcast, Meg Rulli, owner of Flipturn Cellars in Portland, Oregon, joined Merissa Moeller, water and land use attorney for Stoel Rives LLP, to discuss her second career as a winemaker, joining an exciting cohort of new women winemakers, and how her extensive digital marketing experience has helped her along the way.
Taking an Unexpected Turn
With a thriving business career as Co-Founder of digital marketing agency Intentional Spark keeping Meg busy, starting a second career was not top of mind. But when she moved to Oregon, Meg said, "I had an increasing passion for wine, and it started to feel more like a calling." She began to immerse herself in the wine industry by enrolling in a program to receive a sommelier certification, attending industry events, and volunteering at wineries during harvest seasons. "I started to reach out to wineries in the area, wine bars, anywhere where I could get a foot in the door and whatever job was hiring on a part-time basis because I was still managing my business full time," Meg said.
Meg quickly realized she wanted to take her passion for wine to the next level by launching a wine label. Even with her growing love for the wine industry, she had reservations about launching a new career later in life, saying, “I've battled with imposter syndrome every step of the way. But I think I try not to look at anything as a failure and just see it as a learning opportunity.”
Over time, all the networking, volunteering, and reaching out to winemakers helped Meg feel that she belonged in the wine community. "I just think that getting comfortable with the uncomfortable and putting myself out there and trying to meet as many people as possible in every aspect, in every different area of the industry, has been wildly helpful for me," Meg said.
The name Flipturn Cellars is not only a nod to Meg's background in competitive swimming but also an acknowledgment of her professional transition. "It was an unexpected turn in my career and a flip in my everyday professional life. It's something that took me by surprise later in my career," Meg said.
Being a Part of a New Generation of Woman Winemakers
Meg has been receiving recognition for belonging to a new generation of emerging women winemakers in an industry that men traditionally dominate. She credits the supportive and inclusive ecosystem of women in Portland for helping her get started. "I currently work in a custom crush facility that is all women winemakers. There is a strong support group here for females in the wine industry," Meg said.
Through connecting with fellow female winemakers, Meg has organized several events to strengthen the community and help each other with their ventures. Meg said, "I recently did a soft launch of my wine label with a group of four other women winemakers that are all new to releasing their labels. It's moments like that that make me feel part of something special in this community." The support extends to them promoting each other's wines amongst the broader community, with Meg adding, "we have this mentality of we're in this together. We're always uplifting one another on social media and sharing news of other women winemakers out there."
The Business Considerations of Launching a Wine Brand
Despite Meg's extensive business experience owning a digital marketing agency, there was a steep learning curve of selling a physical product compared to a digital service. Meg spent a significant amount of time researching the industry before launching her wine label and quickly realized that hiring experts in the industry would be critical. She emphasized the value of hiring a law firm to help navigate the compliance complexities, saying, "it's nice to be able to sleep at night knowing that I have done things by the book and I have someone there advocating for me."
Extreme Weather Impacts on the Future of Winemaking
Meg's entrance into winemaking coincided with unprecedented climate events in the pacific northwest, and the industry continues to grapple with navigating climate change's impacts on future wine vintages. "Looking back on 2020, we had so many wildfires in the Willamette Valley, and it impacted wine production," Meg said. With smoke taint being a concern, there were certain decisions Meg had to make to ensure that smoke was not getting into the wine. Meg added, "we inoculated with commercial yeast to try and keep the fermentation process quick to get the wine off of its skins because, in winemaking, the skin is where it'll hold any flavors of smoke or aromas of the smoke. And so, there were certain winemaking techniques I had to do in 2020 to ensure that I wasn't getting any smoke taint in my final product. And then, in 2021, we had all of the heat waves through Oregon and Washington.”
Looking ahead, Meg knows that extreme weather conditions may become a fact of life for the wine industry. "We're all a little shell shocked from the last couple of years, and just this trajectory that we're headed towards with climate change," Meg said. For 2022, Meg noted wine yield is expected to be lower than average due to the late frost and spring snowstorms. Even with the lower production forecasted, the wine promises to be a great vintage, with Meg saying, "I think it's going to be a great harvest even though yields are low this year. The later harvest and longer hang time for the fruit will develop some really nice flavors."
Bringing Customers along for the Journey
Flipturn Cellars has a fun, approachable digital presence, and Meg's digital marketing background has informed that approach. "One thing I learned through my years in the marketing space is that customers want to be a part of the journey and what resonates with customers is the brand's storytelling. And when I was launching Flipturn Cellars, I took those principles into mind with my own business," Meg said.
By embracing being relatively new to the industry, Flipturn Cellars has an authenticity and approachability that resonates through their marketing. Utilizing social media has been a powerful tool for that authenticity, and Meg doesn't shy away from the fact she is an emerging winemaker. Meg said, "I tell my customers this is my first vintage, and I want people to be a part of that story and part of my winemaking journey. I want people to pick up a Flipturn bottle, see that it's my first vintage, and be like, I'm excited to be a part of this with Meg."
Episode Transcription
Merissa Moeller
Welcome to the Stoel Rives Deeply Rooted podcast. I'm your host, Merissa Moeller, a water and land use attorney and a member of Stoel Rives agribusiness, food and beverage and timber industry group. This season were interviewing respected industry leaders and discussing how they and their companies are embracing innovation and capitalizing on new opportunities to move their industries forward in an ever-changing world. Subscribe at stoel.com. That's s t o-e-l..com or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Greetings listeners! Welcome to this episode of the Stoel Rives Deeply Rooted podcast. I'm your host, Merissa Moeller. My guest today is Meg Rulli, winemaker based in Portland, OR, and owner of Flipturn Cellars. Meg comes from a business background and she is the co-owner of the digital advertising agency, Intentional Spark. Meg found her passion for wine beginning in her early 20s and in 2019 decided to take the leap to see if she could turn this passion into a second career. Meg launched her own wine label, Flipturn Cellars, which specializes in small production big reds, inspired by the wines she has fallen in love with throughout her travels over the years.
In this episode, Meg and I will discuss her experience starting her own wine label after her first career and some of the challenges and opportunities she sees for new commercial wine makers. And, I’m excited, at the end of the podcast we’ll have an opportunity to taste her newly released 2020 Syrah.
Meg, thanks so much for being here today.
Meg Rulli
Thank you so much for having me, Merissa, I'm excited.
Merissa Moeller
Me, too. So I'd like to start today with the name of your wine label, Flipturn Cellars. I love that name because I think it so perfectly encapsulates your business and your journey toward professional winemaking. Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you came up with the name Flipturn Cellars?
Meg Rulli
Yeah, so great question. And before I kind of talk about my background, I was a former competitive swimmer all through my childhood and college. And so thus the reason Flipturn Cellars because “flipturn” is a fun swimming term. But before I get to the why behind that, I'll just share briefly about my background. I went to business school in a small business school out in Boston growing up, and from there I transferred into business management consulting right out of college. And shortly, you know, five years into my career, my husband and I both quit our corporate jobs and started our digital advertising agency, Intentional Spark, where we specialize in Facebook and Instagram ads for clients across a variety of industries, as well as organic and content marketing for our clients. And so, you know, with this all being said, I have always come from the business background and a marketing background. And I had this increasing passion for wine over the years. And, you know, these last few years, diving into the wine industry and then deciding to launch my own label and make my own wine is the reasoning behind my term Flipturn Cellars for the label name, because it was a really unexpected turn in my career and a flip in my everyday life, in my profession, and something that really took me by surprise later on in my career. And so that's the name. And then of course it ties in with the swimming and being the fun swim term. I thought it was just a fun, zippy name when I was coming up with label names.
Merissa Moeller
I agree. Yeah. Well, you know, on the topic of it being such a major flipturn, I will be honest with you when I think about diving in to use another maybe swimming pun here, when I think about diving into professional winemaking, it just sounds like a completely overwhelming endeavor. You know, we live in a region that is famous already for excellent wines, and there are so many renowned wine makers in this space. And on top of that, you have the capital costs of starting a new business, the multi-year investment of your time before you can even sell your product. You're babysitting a perishable product for multiple years.
Meg Rulli
Oh yeah.
Merissa Moeller
And then you just have the sheer physical labor of being a winemaker. For someone interested and make who is interested in making their own wine professional, where do you even start? How did you get this idea in your head?
Meg Rulli
Yeah, so, I don't know if my way of doing things is the best way for new individuals, but for me it was all about learning as much as I could. So, you know, I had an increasing passion for wine over the years and it started to feel more like a calling when I moved to Oregon because there is such a vibrant wine scene here with being in close proximity to the Willamette Valley and all these other wine regions around the Pacific Northwest. And, for me, you know, as soon as I realized that I wanted to take this to the next level and not just be a consumer, I enrolled in the W set curriculum, which is a curriculum that trains wine professionals on how to eventually get their Somme certification. And for me, you know, I wasn't certain that I wanted to go down The Somme route, but I did know that there was a lot to learn and so I just wanted to be a sponge, learn as much as possible. And by doing that curriculum I got to really see a full, all the different areas of the wine industry. And you know, as I was going down the W set curriculum, I took level 1, 2 and 3, I then started reaching out to different wineries in the area, wine bars really anywhere where I could get my foot in the door and just took on whatever job was hiring at the time in a part time capacity because I was still and am still managing my business, Intentional Spark. And so for me, though, I wanted to get in at the ground level at any, you know, tasting room that would have me, any winery that would have me. And then I also was a harvest volunteer at several wineries here in Oregon just to see what it was that I wanted to do. And so I think for me it was trying to get involved in any area that I could in the industry to really explore what it was at that, you know, where my passion was leading me. And it wasn't until I stepped foot as a harvest volunteer in 2019 in a few wineries and immediately got the winemaking bug and was just hooked from there. And so I would recommend for anyone looking to get into the wine industry or winemaking, just try to learn as much as you can. Get some education under your belt and reach out to different companies and just see if they're hiring and will take on someone to work in their tasting room. And I really just, through doing that, it's opened up so many doors for me and has really been instrumental in in my professional development in the industry.
Merissa Moeller
Well, and I would imagine that just starting the process of being a winemaker, it hasn't been perfectly smooth sailing the whole time. Have there been challenges along the way? And what are some of those challenges?
Meg Rulli
Yeah, you know, I think for me the biggest challenge and I think everyone gets this from time to time in their career, but especially if you're starting out in a brand new career later in life, and that is just the impostor syndrome. And I had it from Day One. And so, you know, launching my own label a year into winemaking was a bit insane and that I've battled with that impostor syndrome every step along the way. But, you know, I think for me, I try not to look at anything as a failure and just see it all as a learning opportunity. And then, you know, also just my experience in the industry, I am still really new and I have yet to or I haven't or I didn't step foot into a winery until 2019 and just learning the chemistry and the science behind winemaking, how to use facility equipment and not mess anything up in the winery as I'm learning, you know, was a really big challenge and was incredibly intimidating and it continues to be. But I am as I'm just taking those risks more and more every day, I am getting more comfortable with it. But, you know, the impostor syndrome is still very much there. I'm just hoping it goes away over time.
Merissa Moeller
Well, I think that's something that so many of us can relate to in our profession.
Meg Rulli
Yeah, absolutely.
Merissa Moeller
So I'm struck that you've talked a bit about just the people who've given you opportunities and it sounds like so much of your professional journey has actually just been about building relationships and then seizing those opportunities that come from those relationships. So what has your approach been to building those relationships and who have some of your mentors been?
Meg Rulli
So, you know, for me, I was starting at ground zero in the wine industry back when I was taking the W set curriculum, and for me it was really just putting myself out there as much as possible, whether it be, you know, applying for jobs at different tasting rooms, just going to wine events, whether they were just tastings here and there or at New Seasons here in Portland. I also would go to wine conferences to try to meet people, even though I didn't really have a place in the industry at the time. And then just meeting wine makers and people in the industry along the way and getting their e-mail, inviting them out for coffee or wine goes everyone likes going out and drinking wine. And I mean, for a lack of a better word, I feel like I just pestered a bunch of people. I would immediately e mail them and be like, “Hey, let's get together. I would love to pick your brain.” And, you know, really, I never thought of myself as someone who's good at networking, but this was something that I was really passionate about and so I wanted to learn from as many people and talk to as many people and get their insights about how they entered the industry and entered winemaking. And those relationships over time have really helped me get to where I am today in my business because it wasn't… so you know, it's now turned. I used to always be reaching out to people to make those connections and to get some coffee dates on the books. But now I feel like people are reaching out to me and I feel that I'm slowly becoming a part of the community. And so, yeah, I really just think that getting uncomfortable with the uncomfortable, and just putting yourself out there and trying to meet as many people as possible in every different area of the industry has been wildly helpful for me.
Merissa Moeller
That that makes perfect sense, and it sounds like the experience of kind of finding your footing and becoming part of that community has been really affirming.
Meg Rulli
Yeah, yeah, and I know you asked too about mentors, and honestly, I've met so many people in the industry who are very involved mentors in my career and then some who just we talk once or twice a year, but those conversations are still very meaningful. And so yeah, I wish I could name some, but there's honestly, I think everyone in the wine industry has been a mentor to me because they all come with more experience and more stories and knowledge that they've shared with me over the last couple of years. And so I think to that question, you know, it's… I try to pull insights from everyone that I can.
Merissa Moeller
Well, and such a good reminder that you can be a mentor, whether you know it or not.
Meg Rulli
Absolutely and I think my goal is just someday I will be able to mentor someone else coming into the industry who I may know more than they do at the stage that they're in because right now I feel like the new kid on the block still. And so, yeah, I think it would be really cool down the line to kind of have that script be flipped. Flipturn.
Merissa Moeller
Yeah. So along these lines, you know, relationship building and mentorship, I know that you've been receiving quite a bit of press recently as part of this new generation of women wine makers. So winemaking has historically been and frankly it still is an extremely male dominated industry. What's your experience then as a woman entrepreneur working in this space and making your own wine?
Meg Rulli
I think you know, here in Portland it has been incredibly supportive. I currently work in a custom crush facility that is all women wine makers and also, you know, just through going to conferences and meeting people in the industry, there is such a strong support group in the community for females in the work space and, you know, there's female led conferences and there are even events that cater to all women winemakers. And I recently did kind of a soft launch of my wine label with a group of four other women wine makers that were all starting up their own labels. And it was an event that one of my good friends, Elena of Woven Wine Works, just wanted to put on for the public. And she was like, here are five women winemakers that are all new to releasing their labels and come join us. And we did a big tasting and it's just, you know, it's moments like that, that make me feel a part of something in this community. And I think that women winemakers here in Oregon have all been extremely welcoming and have been really helpful in my professional development in this industry. And we kind of have this whole mentality of we're in this together and we're always uplifting one another on social media and sharing news of other women out there and what they're doing. And so I think for me, I've seen it. I've only had really positive experiences in in the women and wine space.
Merissa Moeller
That's fantastic. And, you know, something I can relate to as a woman in the law. At the same time, I think the flip side of that is I can imagine it becomes a bit exhausting to receive so much professional attention because of your gender and to be labeled a woman winemaker, even if that attention is positive and it helps to grow your business. So I guess I'm wondering how successfully or not you think the winemaking industry is kind of balancing those issues and navigating these difficult issues of diversity and inclusion.
Meg Rulli
Yeah, you know, I think just like any industry and maybe even more so in the wine space, I think that there are… there's a lot of work that still needs to be done with diversity and inclusion in the wine industry. And you know, I think that we live in a very unique area of the states here in Oregon and I think they, you know, you're seeing so much emphasis in the industry and from a consumer standpoint on, you know, supporting people in the industry and making it a more diverse and inclusive environment for these professionals. But I don't think that that's the case everywhere else in the United States or in the world. And I, you know, going back to diversity and inclusion, I think it's really refreshing to see a lot being done right now to foster that environment in this industry. But I still think that there's a lot we can be doing and there still needs to be improvement. But I think it's very much like that with any other industry that, you know you can, yeah, off the top of my head.
Merissa Moeller
Sure. Okay. Well, let's switch gears and talk a little bit about the business aspects of professional winemaking. So positioning yourself to sell wine to the public is obviously very different than just making wine as a hobby. So what are some of the business challenges that you've navigated as an entrepreneurial winemaker? And what advice do you have for other winemakers who are potentially interested in starting their own businesses?
Meg Rulli
Yeah, so, I think for me it was a huge shift and a big learning curve, not only selling an alcoholic beverage, but also just moving from the digital advertising space where our business sells a digital service and transitioning that into selling a physical product, let alone it being alcohol and having to jump through a lot of legal red tape and compliance around selling alcohol both here in Oregon as well as out of the state. And so for me it was just diving in, doing a ton of research and, you know, really just trying to figure things out step by step as I was getting close to launching my product. And as far as the advice that I would give to anyone else is obviously do as much research as you as you possibly can. Also, hire a lawyer. It is pricey and if you're if you're on a shoestring budget, which so many entrepreneurs are, it can be challenging. But also, it's really nice to not have, like to be able to sleep at night knowing that I have done things by the book and I have someone there advocating for me. So that would be, you know, I know it's not in everyone’s budget. But I will say you know to get a lawyer if you can just because that's, that has been so yeah just very helpful in just having that peace of mind.
Merissa Moeller
Well, and I'll say it helps your lawyers sleep at night too if you talk sooner rather than later, and can kind of work these compliance issues on the front end…
Meg Rulli
Yeah.
Merissa Moeller
…before there's a big problem.
Meg Rulli
Yeah, and I think too, you know, I may not have a lawyer in five years from now once I figure everything out. But as I'm new in the industry and just getting started, it's been really helpful just because, you know, you can do a lot of research, but there's still always that question of if you read the right article, if it gave you the right advice.
Merissa Moeller
Right.
Meg Rulli
And, you know, when I when you are working with a physical product that is highly regulated like alcohol, there is that extra layer of concern.
Merissa Moeller
It’s kind of like when you have a headache and you go on WebMD and …
Meg Rulli
Absolutely.
Merissa Moeller
… you might have cancer or maybe just a headache.
Meg Rulli
Yeah.
Merissa Moeller
There are a lot of rabbit holes you can go down.
Meg Rulli
Exactly.
Merissa Moeller
Well, what about the pandemic? Have you experienced any unique challenges trying, you know, starting up your business essentially right before the pandemic?
Meg Rulli
So obviously the pandemic was really hard on everyone in the wine industry, from people who worked in the service side, in restaurants and bars, because everything shut down. And then you had the wine makers who were trying to sell their products but events were shut down, markets were shut down, and really any way for them to get out there in front of their clients, those waves were all taken away from them during the pandemic. And so I was a bit lucky in the sense that I was making my wine during the pandemic and I'm just now starting to sell it. So you know things now that COVID, it's still very much with us, but we're a little bit behind it now and things are opening back up and I think for me, I was fortunate in that situation to now have that, you know, more opportunities available to me to sell my wine than so many of my peers had when, you know, when they were trying to get out there in 2020. But I will say, you know, another fortunate thing that happened during the pandemic is when I was working as a harvest volunteer in 2019, I was working at this facility down in the Inner SE in Portland, Helio Terra and as we were looking forward into 2020, I told the winemaker I was really interested in continuing to learn from her and make wine at her facility. And so she actually invited me into her space in 2020 to make a ton of wine, which is about 50 cases of Syrah. And so it was a really unique opportunity, but because it was a pandemic, she didn't want to bring in a bunch of harvest volunteers into the facility because everyone was social distancing and quarantining. And so she had me be her kind of unofficial cellar hand for the entire harvest season. And besides myself and her, we were the only people in the winery and it was an all hands on deck situation. And I think for me, because it was the pandemic and we weren't bringing on additional help into the winery, it really served as a good opportunity for me because I was learning. This was my first year really learning how to make wine. And I was just being thrown so many tasks and responsibilities that I don't think I ever would have had exposure to had we not, you know, had she not wanted to have a really small team due to the pandemic. And so, you know, I think the pandemic, it was so tough on so many people in the industry and really so many industries out there, but for me it was kind of a really good learning opportunity in the winery and then, you know, now I'm hoping that there'll be doors that will open as I'm selling my wine and things are starting to open back up. So, you know, yeah, that was my kind of personal experience with the pandemic. It’s a little bit of a silver lining there.
Merissa Moeller
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Well, so the other thing I've been thinking is in the last handful of years during the pandemic, we also had a bunch of extreme weather events, and those have affected so many of our clients who are winegrowers, but also just other agricultural producers. How have those challenges affected your winemaking as your, you know, planning multiple years ahead before you can sell a product.
Meg Rulli
Yeah. So, you know, right now or looking back at 2020, we had in the Willamette Valley so many fires and it impacted so many winemakers production, and luckily, I was making wine out in Eastern Washington and they were hit with a lot of fires, but not as much as here in the Willamette Valley. But smoke taint in the wine was still a concern, and so as I was preparing to make my wine, you know, there were certain decisions we had to make in the winery to ensure that smoke wasn't getting into the final product. And so, you know, we inoculated with commercial yeast to correct to try and keep the fermentation process really quick to get the wine off of its skins, because in winemaking, the skin is where it'll hold any flavors of smoke or aromas of smoke. And so there were certain winemaking techniques I had to do in 2020 to really ensure that I wasn't getting any smoke taint in my final product. And then, you know, 2021 we had all of the heat waves through Washington, through Oregon, and harvest ended up being really early in the growing season and, you know, now looking forward I think after 2020 and 2021 with these extreme weather conditions that we've been faced with out in the Pacific Northwest, I think weather is something that I've never been obsessed with. But I certainly am obsessed with now. I look at my phone and The Weather Channel almost daily. And you know, we're all little shell shocked I think from the last couple of years and just this this trajectory that we're heading towards with climate change. And so, yeah, I think it's, the weather and climate are on every winemaker's mind right now. But my fingers are crossed that it'll be, you know, there'll be some great vintages coming up in the in the years to come.
Merissa Moeller
Any thoughts about how this year is looking?
Meg Rulli
Uhm, well, you know, right now in the Willamette Valley, because of that frost, that giant frost and snow storm that we had here in Oregon in, what was it, April, I think, I know that a lot of the yield this year is going to be really low in the Willamette Valley just because there was so much frost damage that happened during that time. And, you know, luckily there's been a lot of rain this year, and so I'm hoping that fires aren't as prevalent as they were back in 2020. And then, you know, it's still really early to tell in the season, but there have been cool temperatures. So perhaps that's going to lead to a later harvest this coming year and longer hang time of the fruit which hopefully will develop some really nice flavors for the fruit that is available for the wine makers. So, yeah, you know, it's still, like I said, very early, but I think it's going to be a really good harvest. Even though yields are low this year, I think the wine that will be made is going to be really great wine.
Merissa Moeller
Okay. Good to hear. You’re a wine drinker and someone who cares about the region.
Meg Rulli
Yeah, I know. And the consumer.
Merissa Moeller
That’s right. Well, so you mentioned kind of entering this new phase of marketing your product now that it's actually ready to be drunk. And we're going to drink it in a minute and I'm very excited about that.
Meg Rulli
We are.
Merissa Moeller
But I wanted to ask about your approach to digital marketing. You know your label has a very kind of fun and approachable digital presence, and I'm wondering how your business background and specifically your background in digital marketing has informed that approach about how you communicate with your customers about your wine.
Meg Rulli
Yeah, I think for me, you know one thing I learned through my years in the marketing space is that customers really want to be a part of the journey, and they want to, what really resonates customers is at storytelling of the brand. And so when I was launching Flipturn Cellars, I really took those principles into mind with my own business. And, you know, I don't, as a winemaker, shy away from the fact that I'm really new in this industry and I don't pretend to be an expert on social media or on my website and how I market myself. You know, I tell my customers, this is my first vintage. This is the first time I've ever stepped foot in a winery and decided against all odds and everyone’s advice to get a commercial license and do this for real. And I think, you know, I want people to be a part of that story and to be a part of my winemaking journey. I want people to, you know, pick up a Flipturn bottle, see that it’s my first vintage, and be like, “You know what? I'm really excited to be a part of this with Meg and I want to see what she's capable of and I'm going to continue to come back year after year and see how she develops as a winemaker.” And so I think for me, it's what I've really taken from my marketing background is to be authentic and also to really tell a story to your customers and make them a part of the story of your brand and make them a part of that journey. And yeah, so I think that those kind of were my main takeaways. And then the other take away is just to be out there on social media. I know we all hate social media from time to time. But it really is the best way to reach your customers and to have conversations. I can't tell you the amount of people in the industry and consumers that I have met just on Instagram, just by DM’ing and having a conversation or, you know, learning about their company and through their feed. And so really, you know, the power of social media is so important in almost any industry, especially in winemaking, where people want to see the wine being made. They want to see the product out there at their local farmers markets, and they want to be a part of the process.
Merissa Moeller
Well, speaking of being part of the process and going on a journey with Meg, can we try your wine?
Meg Rulli
Absolutely.
Merissa Moeller
Can we go on a journey?
Meg Rulli
Yes, we may go on a journey.
Merissa Moeller
Let’s do it.
Meg Rulli
It’s just going to take a second to open this.
Merissa Moeller
So while you’re opening that, can you tell us a little bit about what we're going to taste?
Meg Rulli
Yeah. So this is my first vintage Flipturn Cellars, 2020, Syrah, and it is from the Columbia Valley in Washington, more specifically, the Yakima Valley in Washington, which is out in Eastern Washington. It's a very hot and dry region. And it's going to produce very big style red wines and this wine I really, you know, I got it from an excellent vineyard and it is aged 16 months in neutral oak. And I wanted to use neutral oak because I thought with neutral oak, it wouldn't impart any oak flavors into the wine. And I really wanted, you know, knowing that it was coming from such a good vineyard, I wanted to really let the fruit shine on its own and not overpower it with oaky flavors and so that's kind of how I handled my production. Just really low intervention, simple winemaking techniques. Especially being a new winemaker and learning as I go, I didn't want to try anything crazy in my first go, but really just learn those traditional low intervention methods in winemaking. And so yeah, so this is my wine. And I made this Syrah, because like we were saying earlier, my Flipturn Cellar brands, I'm trying to make wines that are all inspired by places that I've traveled. And my husband and I in 2012 we visited Hunter Valley in Australia. And I just remember falling in love with the wine Shiraz there, which is the same grape as Syrah. And so when I came back to the States and it was time to make a decision on what wine I wanted to play around with for my first vintage, I wanted to stick to a wine that I had fallen in love with during my travels and the Shiraz that I was drinking back in Australia, you know, almost 10 years ago now. And so that was my yeah, my decision in in what grape varietal to use so.
Merissa Moeller
Now we get to try some wine.
Meg Rulli
[cork pop sound] I love that sound.
Merissa Moeller
Yes, indeed.
Meg Rulli
And I brought an aerator to decant it a little bit because I obviously do not have access to it decanter prior to this. But being a very young wine, especially a big robust red, it does need to open up a bit in the glass and so I always recommend to customers when they're purchasing my wine too, either decant it for a couple hours prior to serving, or you can use a speedy aerator, which I brought here for in the studio today. Or just hold onto it. This wine will cellar really nicely for up to 10, 20 years even. I mean it's going to age really remarkably, which I'm excited about. And that sound is the aerator right now. [Laughter]
Merissa Moeller
That's probably good to clarify for folks who aren't, who don't have a visual. We're here in the studio with our producers, Brian and Dan, who are also going to try this wine.
Meg Rulli
Well, Well, I hope you all like it.
Merissa Moeller
So I’m seeing a very kind of raspberry red, dark.
Meg Rulli
Yeah, Syrah is known for being really inky and as far as what it's going to pair nicely with, you know, it's a big robust red and it has beautiful kind of blackberry and blueberry notes as well as some licorice and some baking spices in there. And for me, I think it pairs beautifully with burgers. You know, your red meat. Just delicious, delicious during the summertime. I know a lot of people don't gravitate towards heavy reds during the summer, but it pairs so well with BBQ, with burgers, with cheese plates and it's yeah, extremely food friendly, I think. And kind of pairs, actually the best pairing is with lamb, and that is my favorite red meat.
Merissa Moeller
Oh yeah, you could definitely see that.
Meg Rulli
Yup. Well, and I’m also noting I think that it's going to be fun to see how this ages and how it changes in the coming years.
Merissa Moeller
Yeah. Absolutely.
Meg Rulli
And what do you think of it?
Merissa Moeller
I think it’s delicious.
Meg Rulli
Okay.
Merissa Moeller
It’s got some nice acidity. You tell me if that’s the wrong term.
Meg Rulli
No, that's perfect. You’re a pro.
Merissa Moeller
It’s kind of bright and I could see it going well with, I think it is a summer red wine.
Meg Rulli
Good. I'm very glad to hear.
Merissa Moeller
Yeah, so it’s …
Meg Rulli
But you have to say that. You're interviewing me so you’ve got to be polite now.
Merissa Moeller
Well, I don't have to say that. So if this movie star, Meg, who do you think it would be?
Meg Rulli
So I actually had to really think about this, but I'm going with Beanie Feldstein. She is …
Merissa Moeller
Oh, I love that! Rulli So if you don't know Beanie, she is Jonah Hill’s sister. She's a comedian and she's known for her roles in Neighbors 2, as well as the best friend in Ladybird and the movie Booksmart. And what I love about her is she's bold, she's funny, she's really approachable. She is, you know, a fairly new actress. And so for me, being a woman in winemaking, I had to pick an actress and then I wanted to pick someone who was up and coming in in her fame and so, and also someone who is very fun and approachable, which I think is kind of the ethos behind my brand Flipturn Cellars. And I think we're going to be seeing more of her in the years to come, which hopefully you should be seeing more of me.
Merissa Moeller
Nice.
Meg Rulli
Yeah.
Merissa Moeller
Well, I didn't have an answer to that question, but now that you say it, that's exactly who I would pick as well.
Meg Rulli
Okay. I love it.
Merissa Moeller
Well, Meg, before we wrap up today, what's next for your business?
Meg Rulli
Yeah, so you are trying right now my 2020 Syrah from Columbia Valley and I'm going to be selling that starting in mid-June, both in Oregon as well as shipping out of state. So if you are interested in buying, you can do that through my website as well as find me on Instagram at Flipturn Cellars and then I also made a larger production in 2021 and so I have about 3 barrels worth of Cabernet Franc that is currently aging in barrel from the 2021 harvest. And then I also made a Cabernet and that's also aging in barrel currently and about 3 barrels worth. So this is going to be about another 175 cases coming out this time next year. And then for 2022 harvest, I am looking to play around with making some white wine. Usually, you know, I've been gravitating and focused on the big reds, but I think for my winemaking career it's really important for me to learn all sides of the business and so I am going to be making white wine this year to really learn that side of the winemaking process because making white wine is drastically different than making red wine and also you can get it on the market quicker, which is great from a business standpoint because barrel aging wine for 16 months is definitely a waiting game. And I've had to practice a lot of patience in these last two vintages. And so I think it'll be really fun to add a white wine to my roster and then just to, yes, to experiment with the whole new wine style. So that’s it for me.
Merissa Moeller
Well, I’m excited. And one final question. I know that for this first vintage you decided to hand label all of your bottles and hand number them.
Meg Rulli
Oh yeah.
Merissa Moeller
Will you be doing that with your future vintages?
Meg Rulli
Probably not, because versus 600 bottles, I'm probably going to have about 1500 bottles for my upcoming vintage. So, no.
Merissa Moeller
We don’t need any repetitive stress injuries just to get your wine to market.
Meg Rulli
No, no, absolutely. So no more hand numbering each bottle. But if you purchase my, if you purchase any Flipturn Cellars the 2020 vintage, you will have a special little, you know, signature on the back label of each number that the bottle represents.
Merissa Moeller
So yeah, wonderful. Well, Meg, thank you so much for your time today and for being here with us and for sharing your wine. It's been such a delight.
Meg Rulli
Thank you for having me, Merissa.
Merissa Moeller
Cheers!
Thank you for listening to the Stoel Rives Deeply Rooted podcast. To follow along and get additional insights from each episode, visit stoel.com. That’s s t o e l.com. Please also take a moment to rate and subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
About Stoel Rives | Deeply Rooted Podcast
This season, our hosts are interviewing respected industry leaders and discussing how they, and their companies, are embracing innovation and capitalizing on new opportunities to move their industries forward in an ever-changing world. The first three episodes will be hosted by Claire Mitchell, Merissa Moeller and Kristin Russell of Stoel Rives’ agribusiness, food, beverage and timber industry group.