Grapevine:The Trials and Travails of Start-up Winery Owners
Wine is big business in the United States and the lure and attraction of being part of its potential success and heady prestige is enticing to many.
Some desire their own winery for the love of the land, or the love of crafting their own artisanal juice of the Gods, or for the prestige and boasting rights or simply to be in the “mix” of the glamour, celebrity and fine dining in the inner circle of wealthy enthusiasts.
And then there are those who have an entirely different reason: the scam artists. These nefarious, unscrupulous rogues roam the earth seeking out the innocent and the gullible.
Last week I read an account from The New York Times front page, replete with a color photo, which epitomizes the dark side of human nature and the wine industry.
For years, Robert Dahl had been pursuing the glamorous life of the wine industry, to be financed with investor funds. Things went wrong, he turned to deceit and deception, and in the end, millions were diverted and lives were lost.
Here a few examples of how precarious life in the wine industry can be. Each presents varying perspectives of how individuals handle the stress and vicissitudes of pursuing one’s dream.
- Follow Your Dream. A number of early idealists settled in California in the 1970s, pursuing humble lifestyles as farmers and wine producers. They were followed by wealthy investors from the technology industry, with wads of cash in their pockets. Many were egocentrics and hobbyists seeking the prestige and cachet of cult winemaking.
Enter Mr. Dahl, the scam artist, and Silicon Valley investor Emad Tawfilis.
End result: small farmers and wealthy investors persevered through the highs and lows of the winemaking industry. We read about the successes; the failures fade into the background. Dahl? He took advantage of Tawfilis. In fact, he defrauded him of $1.2 million. Dahl viewed Tawfilis as his ticket to the glamorous life without the burdensome trappings of debt.
- Live the Dream. Sweat and toil are secondary to aspiring cult winemakers. The end product of their efforts, a signature wine, is the reward. For Dahl, pouring wines for tasting room patrons and being in the lofty mix of high-end Napa denizens was his dream come true. But his outward success was a cover for declining finances. He became desperate and channeled Tawfilis’ capital to unrelated ventures.
End result: Dahl’s fraud was uncovered. The mingling with the tasting room public, the walks in the vineyard and the elbowing with the jetsetters turned into courtroom dates and dark meeting rooms with feuding lawyers.
The travails of Dahl and Tawfilis continued. A shared vision became a polarizing, contentious relationship. Instead of chasing his dreams, it was government regulators, Tawfilis and his inner demons that were chasing Dahl. In court, Tawfilis gained the upper hand, obtaining court orders and equipment seizure warrants to partially recover his now failed investment.
- The Afterglow. Walking through your vineyard, picking grapes, taking in the sweet scents of the soil and grapes, knowing this is all your own handiwork, is the epitome of euphoria for a winemaker.
Unless you are also a fraud, with the legal system chasing you through your vineyards to corral you into a courtroom. Dahl’s afterglow was not a salmon-hued evening sunset, but a fiery, combustible volcanic eruption.
End result: Last Monday, Dahl shot Tawfilis at his Napa vineyard. Wounded, Tawfilis escaped by running on foot through the very vineyards he had financed. Dahl was in hot pursuit in his SUV, barreling through the rows of grapevines that had inspired his dream. Dahl caught up with his investor, sho, and killed him. Cornered by police, he committed suicide.
Chasing one’s dream can be a life-fulfilling pursuit, even if success is not always at the end of the journey. Some handle success, or failure, well; others are so egocentric they are unable to accept failure. Dreams are self-rewarding for some, self-destructive for others.
Nick Antonaccio is a 35-year Pleasantville resident. For over 15 years he has conducted wine tastings and lectures. He also offers personalized wine tastings and wine travel services. Nick’s credo: continuous experimenting results in instinctive behavior. You can reach him at nantonaccio@theexaminernews.com or on Twitter @sharingwine.
