The Jewel Story

Established in 2000 by Jeff Hansen (President and CEO) and Rod Moniz (Senior V.P., Production), Jewel Collection was marketed as the “Best bottle of wine under $10 retail in the U.S., with a goal to become one of the fastest growing new brands from California. In just 3 short years, Jewel Collection was named “Top 10 Hottest Brands” by Wine Business Monthly and has become one of the fastest growing new wineries in 2002, 2003 and 2004.

Jewel Collection, although no longer a small winery, is dedicated to producing handcrafted wines, giving specific and special attention to each grower’s lot, in an effort to maximize the potential of each vineyard. The success of the Jewel Collection has largely come from its commitment to producing the highest quality wines for their price point. And to a greater degree, the Jewel wines have consistently exceeded the expectations of the consumer for each of the varietals that Jewel produces. This commitment has made Jewel one of America’s favorite new wines that consumers can afford to enjoy any day of the week, not just for special occasions. Jewel is the perfect wine for your everyday good times.

The Vision
JEWEL was established with Hansen’s vision of building a wine brand like Procter & Gamble builds a consumer household brand. Unlike many in the wine business, JEWEL was created based on what consumers most often want in a wine. Market research revealed some interesting facts about consumer preferences – as follows:

• The average American consumer ages their wine for 4 hours – meaning that consumers want to buy and enjoy it that same night. Therefore, JEWEL is guaranteed to be drinkable and pleasant upon purchase.
• Over 80% of all wine costs less than $10 at retail. JEWEL carries a suggested retail price of $9.99 in every market in the U.S.
• Consumers like variety and good value. JEWEL produces 10 types of wine, all with a suggested retail price of $9.99.
• Consumers want value and quality. It is JEWEL’s goal to put $20 worth of wine in a bottle that will sell for under $10.
• Consumers do not like to by wine in a restaurant that is also sold in every supermarket. JEWEL sells only to restaurants and fine wine retail stores.

The Team
Jewel Collection relies on a highly experienced and successful management team that collectively has over 200 years of experience in the wine industry, has sold over 100 million cases of wine, and has built distribution in the U.S. and nearly 50 countries around the world. The management team brings wine experience from virtually every segment of the industry, i.e., winery ownership; national and international sales management; hotel and restaurant management; wine retail; wine wholesale distribution and import/export management.

The Winemaking
The single biggest challenge is the one presented to the winemaking team—create a wine that normally would sell for $20 per bottle but do it at a price point that allows the consumer to purchase it for $9.99. The Winemaker, Mike Chupp, and Sr. VP of Production, Rod Moniz, continue to artfully craft wines that exceed the expectations of the consumer.

The Vineyards
There are no vineyards that belong to JEWEL, so a large part of JEWEL’s success is in the selection of Lodi growers. Eighteen different growers produce premium grapes for JEWEL wines, and they are largely made up of 3rd- and 4th-generation wine grape growers, who have dedicated their lives to producing the best quality grapes possible. To do this the JEWEL growers have committed to limit their production to 5 – 6 tons per acre, which is a constant challenge, as the Lodi region is blessed with some of the richest and most fertile soil in California, capable of producing in excess of 10 tons per acre.

To meet these challenges, the growers agreed to incorporate farming strategies that help reduce the grape yields and increase the quality. The Jewel winemaking team works closely with the grower on pruning techniques, deficit irrigation routines, shoot thinning, leaf pulling and crop thinning in an effort to expose the grapes to the best growing conditions possible. The results of these strategies have helped decrease the per acre yield, while creating the most intense, deeply flavored, and perfectly colored grapes possible.

Commitment to Quality & Price
JEWEL has made a long term commitment of not changing its price. As for the quality, the JEWEL production team continually expands their expertise in the vineyard, instituting new techniques and cultural practices to ensure that each new vintage is an award winner.

Jewel Wines
JEWEL produces European-style wines with a California influence. This means that the wines are true to the variety – every effort is used to capture the true essence of the grape and the unique varietal character that you find directly in the vineyard. It also means that the grapes are harvested to ensure the proper balance of acidity and sugar, always mindful that structure, depth and longevity are best achieved by good acidic structure in the wine. Oak aging is then used to enhance the wines, not become the dominant flavor. In the end, the most important goal for JEWEL wines is that they not only become an essential part of your dining experience, but that they also make it special.

When crafting the white wines, i.e., Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Viognier, we use 100% stainless steel fermentation, and only the Chardonnay benefits from a careful and judicious use of French Oak aging. JEWEL produces wines that are easy to drink and captures the true sense of the grape variety, all while maintaining an acidic backbone and structure that guarantee a memorable dining experience.

The red wines—Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Shiraz, Petite Sirah and our signature wine firma—utilize barrel aging, up to 18 months in new to 3-year-old barrels. The selection of barrels gives the winemaking team a range of characteristics that afford them the optimum conditions when creating the final blends. Their barrel composition is made up of primarily European Oak and American Oak, which further develop each varietals unique fruit characteristics. When finished, each red wine is unique to its varietal, having enticing aromas with ample fruit, paired with well-managed, assertive tannins and well-balanced acidity.